As with last year, newcomers outnumber returning players for Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean.
This time, however, there's a difference.
Of the Bulldogs’ eight new players, three have extensive college experience.
The three-grad transfers Andrew Garcia, Justin Kier, and P.J. Horne were all key performers for their former schools at Stony Brook, George Mason, and Virginia Tech, respectively. And while it remains to be seen exactly the impact they will have, their experience is a welcomed addition for Georgia, which opens its season Wednesday against Columbus State (5 p.m.).
“There’s maturity, they’re knowledgeable, they pick things up fast, they want to help their teammates, and they know the pace of college basketball,” Crean said. “These guys have handled the season well. They’ve handled the ramp up to practice; they’ve handled the practices well, and I’m glad we have them.”
Along with five other newcomers also including two true freshmen and three junior college signees, Georgia brings back just five returnees: Sahvir Wheeler, Tye Fagan, Toumani Camara, Christian Brown, Jaekwon Walton, and walk-on Jaxon Etter.
“At some point, you would like to have a little bit of stability, instead of having just five guys back. I hope we do. But the way college basketball now, and college sports in general, are changing with what is happening with the transfer rules,” Crean said, “the rules are changing right in front of us. But when guys are getting eligible and guys are getting cleared, I think that’s here to stay.”
The Bulldogs have plenty of questions heading into the upcoming campaign: namely how will they replace the scoring vacated by top overall pick in the NBA Draft Anthony Edwards, as well as Rayshaun Hammonds, who signed a free-agent contract with Indiana.
“As I try to get across to them, balance is not a bad thing. My best teams might have had some star players, but they also had a lot of balance, and that’s the way we’re built,” Crean said. “We have to be a basketball TEAM. It has got to be a team, and we're trying to get it even faster. But it's got to be a team that works together and plays hard together. They can help each other and help each other improve, and not only help them get over their own mistakes quickly, but get over their teammates’ mistakes.”
How quickly and how much the aforementioned grad transfers contribute will likely determine the success of Georgia, which was picked to finish 13th in the SEC by the media that covers the league.
Horne and Kier appear to be the top two options.
Last year, Horne—who started 30 of 32 games last year for the Hokies—averaged a modest 7.6 points and 4.2 boards. But Crean believes the former Tift County standout, who goes 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, is capable of much more.
“Our guys get excited every time he touches the ball, and I know I do. What we want to do is get him fouled more. He’s driving the ball a lot more than I think he has since high school,” Crean said. “He works hard, he picks things up fast. Certainly, he can add physicality to his game. He’s been banged up a little bit through this time period, but he’s back healthy now, but I love having him, and he’s a pure winner.”
Kier (6-4, 190) may turn out to be the team’s best pure scorer.
“Justin Kier has tremendous speed, strength, and can really get to the rim. He’s got to get more consistent from 3, but he scored 16 points per game in the Atlantic Ten as a junior,” Crean said. “He’s a bona fide college scorer, but the athletic ability that he’s playing with and the tenacity he plays with serves him well on offense and defense. We’ve just got to keep finding ways to allow him to attack.”
Garcia (6-6, 225), meanwhile, started all 33 games last year for Stony Brook. Although Crean says the New Jersey native needs better shot consistency, he is expected to be a big help along the Bulldogs’ frontline.
“He’s played a lot at the power forward position, so he is getting more comfortable handling the ball, being in pick and rolls, driving and playing,” Crean said. “We’re trying to work on the consistency of his shot. When you’re building consistency of shot, it comes about the footwork, it becomes about the release and it becomes about the finish and making sure all three of those things have the right balance as you go into it. But when it comes to Andrew, he is a guy who wants to win, has won, will compete and does all the little things.”
Of the returnees, Wheeler is the Bulldogs’ point man in every sense of the word.
One of the quickest point guards in the SEC, Wheeler finished third on the team with nine points while breaking the Bulldog freshman record for assists with 139.
“When it comes to offense and putting in new plays, we really lean on Sahvir because we’re talking about what I think is one of the fastest guards in the country and utilize that in a little better pace,” Crean said. “It’s going to take a little time, I think, to get that pace that we want offensively and defensively, but I think that Sahvir is going to be a huge, huge part of how that goes.”
Crean also expects both Camara (6.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg) and Fagan (2.5 ppg) to increase their offensive production.
The Bulldogs are also hoping that sophomore Walton, along with freshman K.D. Johnson, can provide some scoring punch from the perimeter.
Freshman Josh Taylor, along with junior college transfer Tyron McMillan, Jonathan Ned and Mikal Starks round out the rest of the team.
