Crean on Hammonds: "He felt very confident in his decision"

Junior Rayshaun Hammonds is staying in the NBA Draft.

The Norcross native made it official Saturday, announcing his decision on Twitter. Hammonds, who endured his share of inconsistency, still managed to finish second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game. The 6-foot-9, 235-pounder led the Bulldogs in rebounds with 7.4 per contest.

"The other night we talked about it. He felt very confident in his decision, and we talked about logistics and process," head coach Tom Crean said in a text to UGASports. "My recommendation was to get an agent/ advisor that was highly experienced and well-connected with clients and contacts. It’s a very different atmosphere now in this process, due to the COVID-19."

Hammonds becomes the third underclassman to leave the program, following projected top pick in the NBA Draft Anthony Edwards and Rodney Howard, who transferred to Georgia Tech.

The Bulldogs, who finished 16-16 last year, can now use Hammonds’ scholarship to add one more player to its 2020 class.

"We are actively recruiting," Crean said. "We definitely need to get older and more experienced."

Last week, Georgia picked up grad transfer Justin Kier (14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds) from George Mason, and in March added a commitment from Ty McMillian, who hails Kilgore Junior College in Texas.

The Bulldogs earlier signed Mikal Starks, Jonathan Ned, Josh Taylor, and KD Johnson, currently ranked 27th according to Rivals.

As to who the Bulldogs could potentially add, keep an eye on Jonathan Kuminga and Michael Foster. Both are currently still members of the 2021 class, but are likely to reclassify. They're also apparently considering the NBA's G League, per Rivals basketball analyst Dan McDonald.