It’s been a few years since Georgia’s basketball team had a player make the physical impression that freshman Somto Cyril has.
At 6-foot-11 and an athletic 260 pounds, everything about the Overtime Elite product screams athlete and the type of rim protector head coach Mike White has been yearning for.
But as Cyril explained during a session Tuesday with Georgia media, he’s also got a quiet side.
“I like my own space,” Cyril said. “Some people call it introvert, but I just like to enjoy my own space. I like to be by myself, enjoy my company, whatever it is.”
However, a warning to opponents.
Don’t confuse Cyril’s laid-back personality for weakness when it comes to protecting the rim, a problem for Georgia last year.
“I am a very competitive guy. Whatever I do, it doesn't really matter. For fun or whatever, I like to compete,” Cyril said. “What's the point of doing it if you're not going to try? I've been like that my whole life. It's part of me. That's the thing that makes me who I am.”
It’s that fearless mentality that Cyril believes will help take him and the Bulldogs places this season.
“It's just the mindset I developed when I started playing. My coach told me if you can dunk the ball, dunk it. Why not try? I feel like the game is a mental game,” Cyril said. “When you dominate guys, they either step up their game or they back down. When I'm playing, I like to test the guys' minds. When I do whatever, I do, I look them in the eye.”
Bulldog guard Silas Demary Jr. laughed that he had a close-up view of Cyril’s competitive streak during a scrimmage a month ago.
“He dunked on me one time in practice, and that was a jaw-dropper for me,” Demary Jr. said. “I was talking trash to him and then he got me back, but that was probably my jaw-dropping moment with him, it was a lot of fun, though.”
White has been impressed, although he believes there’s even more Cyril will bring to the table once he gains more experience.
“He has got a seven-foot, six-inch wingspan and really elevates off the floor as well, so it's a couple plays each day he makes it a couple of jaws are dropped, you know, athletically,” White said. “He’s still got to improve his motor over time. He's a spurt ability guy right now where he can play really hard in short spurts, and we've got to improve that consistency. But he’s a really talented guy.”
That much is obvious.
Cyril was all set to go to Kentucky, but after John Calipari split to Arkansas, the native of Enugu, Nigeria re-opened his recruitment.
That’s when his familiarity with White and the Bulldogs paid off.
“Being I was staying in Atlanta for like two years, I kind of knew a little bit about Georgia. But it goes way back. Coach White has been with me since my freshman year when I was in Florida and we built a relationship there,” Cyril said. “Obviously, I wasn't going to go to Kentucky, but I guess God had different plans for me. I came over here and I felt the environment and everything. Coach White is going to help me improve my game and what I can bring to the table. I feel like this is the best place for me, and I know it's the best place for me.”
Cyril explored the possibility of jumping straight to the NBA before settling on beginning his career in Athens.
“I'm glad I got to experience that and get the feedback that I needed. I met with the GMs and the coaching staff. They told me what I need to work on in the program,” Cyril said. “I feel like it's really great because now you have a roadmap on what you need to work on and how you need to go about it. I'm looking forward to the season to show that I've been working on it all offseason and everything. I'm ready to help the team win basketball games.”
