Georgia gets its new little big man
At 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, Sahvir Wheeler is used to being the little man in a big man’s game.
Just don’t take his lack of size as a detriment.
On Monday, the 2019 four-star from Houston made it official, announcing his commitment to Georgia over Iowa State, giving the Bulldogs a player at a position that’s lacked a true point guard during last year’s first season under head coach Tom Crean.
“The coaches are fantastic. They are big-time. They want me to go there and be a part of something special they have going on at Georgia. He said they need somebody like me to bring my leadership skills and they preached coming in and getting better every day," Wheeler told Rivals' Dan McDonald. "They want me to come in confident knowing I’m a good player. Coach Crean’s message was basically to come in and get better and try to help the team right away."
Count former Bulldog J.J. Frazier as someone who thinks Georgia hit a home run by getting the nation’s 86th-overall player and 14th-rated point guard, according to Rivals.com
At 5-10 and 150 pounds, Frazier enjoyed a stellar career for the Bulldogs, averaging 18.8 points during his last season at Georgia two years ago.
The similarities between the two are unmistakable.
Even Frazier thinks so.
“Sahvir’s game is a lot like mine, but at the same time it isn’t,” Frazier said. “Coming into college, he’s more shifty with the ball, bigger and stronger. I could shoot the ball better and probably a little faster.”
But make no mistake, Frazier likes what he sees.
“He’s going to be a really solid point guard for us,” Frazier said. “It’s going to be fun to watch him running the show.”
Wheeler becomes the fifth member of Crean’s 2019 signing class, joining Toumani Camara, Jaykwon Walton, Christian Brown and Anthony Edwards, who finished the season as the No. 3 overall player in the Rivals rankings.
“I know a lot of the players. I have a really good relationship with Christian. Jaykwon was there and I got to spend a lot of time with him at the Big Baller All-American Game. He was cool," Wheeler said. "Anthony Edwards wasn’t there, because he was at the Jordan Brand Game, but I met him at the NBA Top 100 game. I haven’t had a chance to meet Toumani Camara yet, but I played against him and know he’s a really good player.”