DESTIN, Fla. – Georgia head basketball coach Mike White had no idea whether Kario Oquendo would return to Athens after placing his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

In fact, he initially felt the odds might be against it.

However, following a few conversations, White could sense the Bulldogs’ leading scorer from last year was having a change of heart. When he finally announced his intentions, White could not have been more pleased.

“We had some really healthy conversations, some really transparent communication,” White said Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings. “I thought there was a real chance he could take off in the portal after those conversations. But we continued to have them. Eventually, it got to the point where he circled back.”

Keeping Oquendo, who led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15.2 points per game, might have been White’s best recruiting job.

“I’ll never forget him reaching out to me. I was actually on the road recruiting down in Orlando at the Wild World of Sports and he reached out to me,” White said. “We hadn’t talked in a few days, and he said he wanted to have some further conversations. We had another really healthy conversation and we felt like he was starting to warm up to the idea.”

White admitted he initially felt Oquendo was calling to give him a different kind of news.

“I did. When the phone rang, I felt it potentially was going to be him telling me he was going to take off. But we had a couple of more conversations, both in person and over the phone,” White said. “He had some conversations with the staff, and by the end of the week, pulled his name out of the portal.”

White said he expects Oquendo will be a more complete player than he was a season ago.

Not only does he feel he’ll be more consistent offensively, but the defensive part of his game will improve as well.

“I think he had a great year. I think the previous staff did a really good job with him and with us from day one. It will be consistency, which comes sometimes with age, maturation, and experience. I’m sure the previous staff would have done the same thing with him coming into this year,” White said. “How can he do it more consistently from an offensive standpoint, and then raise his overall level of defensive performance to match the ceiling and potential he’s got on the defensive end as well.”

White feels Oquendo’s fondness for Georgia and Athens is what ultimately convinced him to return.

“I think he really likes Georgia. I’m not going to sit here and say I think it was about me, but I think it was about wanting to see Georgia be successful,” White said. “He wants to have a big hand in it. He feels like we can get this thing done. He likes the way he’s been received in Athens. He’s got friends, a level of comfort and familiarity. He’s very fond of Georgia and he’s ready to get back to work.”

White was also asked about his impression of Stegeman Coliseum and the rest of Georgia’s basketball facilities.

“I think there has been conversation and there will continue to be conversations about improvements to all facilities over time,” he said. “Stegeman, from my understanding, has got some stuff that’s got some plans for some improvements, down below. I don’t know the technical terms. Cosmetically, as I told President Morehead and Josh Brooks from Day 1, I think they have done a good job of updating to a certain extent.

“Over time, I anticipate more of those until one day, who knows when that one day is, then maybe you look at something new. But I think we’ve got a pretty nice place.”

Until then, White said it will be up to he and his staff to make sure Stegeman Coliseum is a fun place for Bulldog fans to watch a game and a terror for opposing teams to play.

“There are certain things we can control, like who we are signing to scholarships, how well we are developing them, and how well we defend and score at the same time,” White said. “We want to be super competitive, and obviously the better we do and fill that place, the more excitement that comes with Georgia basketball having success, those types of conversations we can have. But I can assure you of the seven we signed this spring, I don’t think a one of them signed because of our coliseum, and I’m not sure we missed on anyone because of our coliseum, either. It’s something we feel comfortable with right now.”

…White said he has two scholarships available to fill for the upcoming season, but he has not decided whether he will use them or not.