Silas Demary Jr. admits he considered looking around at other schools once Georgia’s run in last year’s NIT Tournament was complete.

But ultimately, there was no place like home.

“My mindset was just to … I mean, this is home for me, you know, everybody welcomed me with open arms, so I just felt like it was the best place for me, the best situation,” Demary Jr. said. “But then it was guys that wanted to come here, and I helped recruit. So, I mean, it was just a matter of being able to be a part of the big team and a big part of the team and being able to help bring guys in.”

As huge as the additions of former five-star Asa Newell and a host of talented transfers have been, keeping Demary Jr. around was equally important.

One of the top freshmen in the SEC, Demary Jr. started 36 of Georgia’s 37 games, averaging 9.7 points per game while shooting 42.4 percent as one of the Bulldogs’ primary point guards.

Head coach Mike White believes those numbers will improve.

“Individually, just from a skill standpoint or facets of the game, I would say Silas has worked really hard on his shot,” White said. “He’s improving his percentages, his turnover ratio as well.”

Demary’s role in helping recruit Georgia’s current team to Athens cannot be underscored.

“Some of them were definitely asking, like, how's the team, like, how's the locker room. They wanted to know how the coaches were when we went through a losing streak, just asking about how the coaches are overall,” Demary Jr. said. “I kind of just told them, like, they're everyday guys, they stayed the same the whole year, whatever they tell you is pretty much the truth; they're gonna be honest with you through and through the whole time.”

Demary Jr. and the Bulldogs have already been hard at work.

Although Monday marks the first official week that teams will be able to practice under the 20-hour rule, new NCAA rules have allowed Bulldogs to be on the court already.

With so many new teammates to get to know, the time has proven invaluable.

“We have a lot of younger guys this year; we’ve got some older, but there’s a lot of freshmen that are going to play big minutes this year,” Demary said. “So, we've got to lean on them, watch film, help them see things in practice … that’s always talking kind of is the biggest thing for me.”

He likes what he sees.

From graduate transfers like former Vanderbilt standout Tyrin Lawrence and Dakota Leffew from Mount St. Mary’s, to returnee Blue Cain, sophomore transfer De’Shayne Montgomery, plus freshmen Savo Drezgic and Jordan Key, Demary feels Georgia’s backcourt will be in good hands.

Georgia’s front line also appears more impressive.

Newell (6-11, 220), Appalachian State transfer Justin Abson (6-9, 255), freshman Somto Cyril (6-11, 260), returnee Dylan James (6-9, 210), and Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey (6-8, 230) give the Bulldogs a lot more length around the rim than we’ve seen in White’s first two years as head coach.

“We definitely have more size, I feel like we have true fours and fives this year to be able to punch it in or play true size,” Demary Jr. said. “I feel like we're a little bit faster this year. We get in and out of our transition a lot more, and I was telling the backline we're a little bit longer, so, you know, I might blow an assignment, but I know I can trust someone like Asa behind me to block that short or alter it.”