Category: Hoops

UGA basketball’s RJ Melendez entering the transfer portal

Georgia basketball guard/forward RJ Melendez is returning to the transfer portal after spending one season at UGA

The Georgia Bulldogs are expected to lose one of their top contributors from the 2023-2024 basketball season in RJ Melendez. Melendez, who spend one season at Georgia, transferred to Georgia from Illinois. Now, he is returning to the NCAA transfer portal.

Melendez averaged 20.6 minutes, 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in his lone season at Georgia. Melendez helped Georgia go 20-17 and advance to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) finals. The Bulldogs struggled in SEC play, but finished the year on a strong note. Melendez joins several other Bulldogs in the transfer portal.

Melendez is a former four-star recruit in the class of 2021. Melendez played high school basketball for Central Pointe Christian in Kissimmee, Florida. Melendez was the No. 94 recruit and No. 18 shooting forward. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound shooting forward was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Melendez played in 54 games and started 19 total games for Illinois across the two seasons to start his college basketball career. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Appalachian State basketball standout commits to Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs added a commitment from the 2023 Sun Belt defensive player of the year

The Georgia Bulldogs and head coach Mike White continued to build their roster for the 2024 season on Wednesday with a transfer from the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Justin Abson, the 2023 Sun Belt defensive player of the year, announced via X that he has committed to the Dawgs.

Abson is a 6-foot-9, 235 pound forward originally from Pompano Beach, Florida. He scored 7.9 points per game along with 7.1 total rebounds per game and averaged a remarkable 2.8 blocks per game, which was third nationally. He will contribute most on the defensive side but shot 61.9 percent from the field and can be a solid offensive piece in Athens as well.

Abson gives the Dawgs their second transfer addition of this offseason cycle, joining De’Shayne Montgomery from Mount St. Mary’s, and their first addition at the forward position. Abson chose the Dawgs over Michigan and Xavier, who were also active in his pursuit.

Georgia basketball lands major transfer target

Georgia basketball adds commitment from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rookie of the year

The transfer portal continues to rage on in the world of college athletics, and after losing numerous contributors in recent weeks. Head coach Mike White and the Georgia Bulldogs basketball program got a major pickup in their favor on Thursday. Mount St. Mary’s guard De’Shayne Montgomery officially chose the Bulldogs over Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Cal, announcing the decision on his Instagram.

Montgomery is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and is coming off of a breakout season for the Mountaineers where he averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He came on strong toward the end of the year where he scored over 24 points in four of the final five games and was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rookie of the year for his performance.

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Montgomery is the first transfer acquisition for the Dawgs this offseason, and they are expected to target many more as they seek to replace numerous players from a season ago. A dynamic addition at guard like Montgomery was especially critical in light of the exit of points leader Noah Thomasson as well as the transfers of multiple others at the position.

Georgia basketball forward Jalen Deloach commits to Atlantic 10 school

Georgia basketball forward Jalen Deloach is returning to the Atlantic 10 conference

The Georgia Bulldogs forward Jalen Deloach has committed to the Loyola Chicago Ramblers after one season at Georgia. Deloach is electing to transfer away from Georgia after the Bulldogs went 20-17 and advanced to the National Invitational Tournament final.

Deloach played an average 12.8 minutes per game for Georgia this season. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Deloach is likely transferring in hopes of having a bigger role in the rotation.

Deloach is a second-time transfer. He previously started 32 games as a sophomore at VCU.  The lengthy forward averaged 9.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in his final season with the VCU Rams. That year, the Rams won the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Deloach returns to the Atlantic 10 conference with Loyola and will face his former team in 2024-2025.

Loyola is coming off a strong 2023-2024 basketball season. The Ramblers won a share of the Atlantic 10 conference during the regular season, but fell in their conference tournament and missed the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia basketball’s Jabri Abdur-Rahim to transfer to Big East school

UGA basketball’s second leading scorer transferring to Big East program

Georgia Bulldogs standout guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim has announced that he plans to transfer to the Providence Friars. Abdur-Rahim brings scoring, shooting, length and experience to the Friars.

Abdur-Rahim elected to enter the transfer portal after his third season with the Bulldogs. Abdur-Rahim is a former top recruit. He was expected to be Georgia’s leading returning scorer, but now will be playing elsewhere.

Overall, Abdur-Rahim averaged 12.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for Georgia. His 35.6% three-point shooting provided a boost to the Georgia offense. Abdur-Rahim was Georgia’s second-leading scorer throughout the 2023-2024 basketball season behind Noah Thomasson, who is out of eligibility.

Abdur-Rahim also elected to enter the NBA draft in addition to entering the transfer portal. Abdur-Rahim averaged 26.0 minutes per game before suffering an ankle/foot injury and missing Georgia’s National Invitational Tournament semifinals run. His departure leaves a scoring void for the Bulldogs, but Georgia did play well in the NIT without him.

UGA forward, former 3-star recruit enters transfer portal

Georgia basketball freshman forward Lamariyon “Mari” Jordan has reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal

Georgia Bulldogs freshman forward Lamariyon “Mari” Jordan has reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal after one season with the Bulldogs. Jordan did not see the court for the Bulldogs in 2023-2024. Jordan is a former three-star recruit in the class of 2023.

Georgia head coach Mike White noted that injuries hampered Jordan’s first year in Athens and was a big reason why he did not play. Jordan played high school basketball for Norcross High School in Norcross, Georgia.

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward redshirted during the 2023-2024 season and will have four seasons of eligibility remaining should he elect to transfer to a new school.

Jordan is Georgia’s fifth player to enter the transfer portal this offseason. He joins Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Justin Hill, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, and Jalen Deloach in entering the portal since the season ended. Assuming all five of these players transfer, Georgia will have seven open roster slots for the 2024-2025 season.

Third UGA basketball player enters the transfer portal

A third Georgia basketball contributor enters the transfer portal.

After losing two contributors to the transfer portal earlier on April 8, yet another player has opted to depart from the Georgia basketball program. Forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe announced via his Instagram that he will be entering the transfer portal.

Moncrieffe, listed at 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, started 26 games in his first year at Georgia in the 2022-2023 season, scoring 5.5 points per game as well as contributing 5.1 rebounds per game. However, his minutes declined this past season as he only recorded 1.4 points and 1.1 rebounds per game, with a high of six points against North Carolina Central near the start of the season.

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Moncrieffe had previously played college basketball at Oklahoma State prior to transferring to UGA. He started 21 games for the Cowboys over two years, including a game in his freshman year against the Iowa State Cyclones in which he recorded a career-high 22 points and 12 rebounds. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Moncrieffe joins point guard Justin Hill, Georgia’s assist leader, and forward Jalen Deloach in entering the transfer portal.

Second Georgia basketball player enters the transfer portal

Following the announcement regarding the transfer of Jalen Deloach, a second UGA basketball contributor has entered the portal.

Following the transfer announcement of Jalen Deloach this morning, the Georgia basketball roster shakeup continued into the afternoon. Guard Justin Hill has entered the transfer portal after his second season at Georgia.

Hill started 13 games over the past two years at Georgia and was a consistent contributor, averaging 9.5 points per game and 3.2 assists per game a season ago, including a 21-point performance against Wake Forest in the National Invitational Tournament. He had a memorable moment this season when he hit a game-winning shot to beat Florida State. Georgia will miss Hill’s efficient passing and playmaking ability.

Hill is listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds, and he is a native of Richmond, Texas. Prior to arriving in Athens, he played his first two seasons at Longwood, where he started 40 games over two years. During his sophomore season he averaged 14.2 points per game and Longwood won the Big South en route to an NCAA Tournament bid. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Georgia basketball contributor plans to enter transfer portal

Georgia basketball has officially seen their first likely departure of the 2024 offseason via the transfer portal.

The Georgia Bulldogs have officially seen their first expected departure of the offseason via the NCAA transfer portal. Forward Jalen Deloach will reportedly be entering the portal after one season at Georgia, which he confirmed this afternoon on X.

Deloach averaged 12.8 minutes per game as a contributor for the Dawgs this season, scoring 3.6 points per game along with 3.3 rebounds per game. He figures to target a school where he can compete for a bigger role in the rotation. He is a second-time transfer, having previously started 32 games in his second and final year at Virginia Commonwealth, where he averaged 9.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game on a team that won the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

This leaves Georgia with nine scholarship players who are eligible to return for next season, including four starters. More moves both in and out of the program are expected as Georgia looks to enter year four under Mike White with a more talented lineup.

Mount St. Mary’s star transfer names top four schools

The Bulldogs are in need of incoming guard production in light of the exit of Noah Thomasson and the uncertainty surrounding freshman Silas Demary Jr.

A highly coveted basketball transfer target has named Georgia to his top four. De’Shayne Montgomery, a guard who played his freshman year at Mount St. Mary’s, named the Dawgs alongside Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern California.

Montgomery is originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is listed at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and is coming off of a breakout season for the Mountaineers. He averaged 13.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, while coming on strong toward the end of the year where he scored over 24 points in four of the final five games. He was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rookie of the year for his performance.

The Bulldogs and head coach Mike White are in dire need of incoming guard production in light of the exit of Noah Thomasson and the uncertainty surrounding freshman Silas Demary Jr. Montgomery would bring immediate experience and production as the Dawgs look to become contenders in the SEC, where they finished 11th this year.