Tag: georgia basketball recruiting

Anthony Edwards projected to go No. 3 in 2020 NBA mock draft

Georgia G Anthony Edwards is projected by Rookie Wire to go No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Hornets.

The 2019-20 NBA season came to a close this October as the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned champions of the world for a record tying 17th time.  With the end of last season here, now it’s time for teams to focus on the future and look towards the ever so close 2020 NBA Draft.

Starting just last week, team personnel have been allowed to visit potential draft prospects in their hometowns in order to make evaluations.

For the first time in seven years, the Georgia Bulldogs have a lottery pick in the mix.  Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who just won his first title with the Lakers, was selected 8th overall in 2013 by the Detroit Pistons.

Rookie Wire released their 2020 NBA Mock Draft 6.0 earlier this Thursday, giving great insight as to what teams are thinking based on their draft position and needs.

Of that list of 60 picks, Anthony Edwards is projected to go No. 3 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

The list has two superstars in front of Edwards in the NBL’s LaMelo Ball going No. 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton going No. 2 to the Golden State Warriors.

Here’s what Rookie Wire had to say about Edwards and the fit in Charlotte:

“The Charlotte Hornets need a bona fide star on their roster, and that kind of potential is exactly what Anthony Edwards offers.

The 19-year-old wing is someone whose teams have been built around him, boasting an absurdly high usage rate through AAU and college competition. But the Hornets can give him the keys to the team as their franchise alpha, riding with the highs and letting the lows be learning experiences for his development.

During his freshman year at Georgia, his scoring output increased as the season progressed. He scored extremely well within five feet of the rim, and he can be an above-average defender by virtue of his athleticism alone.”

Many experts see Edwards going No. 1 or No. 2 behind Ball but the fit does seem right in Charlotte.  They’ve had a lack in scoring for years, especially now that Kemba Walker is no longer with them.

Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his one season at Georgia.

The 2020 Draft is scheduled for November 18th and will be aired live on ESPN.

Nations No. 1 PF, Georgia native Jabari Smith to announce commitment Friday

Jabari Smith of Tyrone, Georgia is set to make his college decision this Friday, choosing between UGA, Auburn, LSU, UNC and Georgia Tech.

5-star power forward Jabari Smith is set to commit between Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Georgia Tech and UNC on Friday, according to reports by TiptonEdits and later  confirmed by ESPN.

Smith is rated as the No. 1 power forward and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Georgia in the 2021 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean has experience in keeping star basketball players in-state and signing them to play for the Bulldogs.

Possible 2020 NBA No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards did just that for the Bulldogs last year when the Atlanta native signed with Georgia and was named SEC Freshman of the Year in his one season with the Bulldogs.

247Sports currently predicts Smith will sign with Auburn.

Check back here Friday for updates on Smith’s commitment.

Georgia basketball lands forward PJ Horne, its third graduate transfer

Georgia basketball has secured Virginia Tech graduated transfer PF PJ Horne for the upcoming 2020 season.

Tom Crean has landed yet another transfer to play for Georgia in 2020.

PJ Horne, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, has decided to take his talents to Athens and join the Georgia Bulldogs.

Horne is originally from Tifton, Georgia, and was the No. 208 overall player in the 2017 class, according to 247Sports.

Horne, the 6-foot-6, 230 pound power forward, averaged 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season with the Hokies.

Only six UGA players are returning from the 2019 season, which has left a lot of work for Crean in the recruiting department.

Just a week prior to Horne choosing the Dawgs, Andrew Garcia, a shooting guard graduate transfer from Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York, signed with Georgia.

April 26th was the day of the first graduate transfer signing for Georgia with George Mason University transfer shooting guard Justin Kier putting pen to paper.

The Dawgs now have eight new faces joining the roster.  That’s more players than are currently on the team. Five of those eight will be incoming freshman, along with the three graduate transfers.

UGA now has the No. 29 recruiting class in the country, and No. 8 class in the SEC.  You can view the full list of Georgia basketball’s 2020 recruiting class here.

Georgia basketball rounds out 2020 recruiting class with graduate transfer SG

Tom Crean and Georgia basketball round out the 2020 recruiting class with graduate transfer SG.

It was announced Wednesday that Tom Crean has rounded out his massive 2020 Georgia men’s basketball recruiting class of seven players.

Only six UGA players are returning from the 2019 season, leaving a big hole to fill for Crean’s Bulldogs. Anthony Edwards and Rayshaun Hammonds are two players that will not be returning, as both are headed to the NBA Draft.

The newest addition to the 2020 freshman class is Andrew Garcia, a shooting guard graduate transfer from Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York.

Garcia stands at 6-foot-5, 228 pounds and could be a very nice addition to the Dawgs’ young team.  He averaged 13.4 points per game for Stony Brook last season.

Garcia seems to be the full package and has lots of collegiate experience under his belt. He has a big frame for a shooting guard, can drive and finish strongly, can shoot the three, and can defend and block shots exceptionally well.

Crean sought out a great ball players that will most definitely help Georgia next season. It will be interesting to see how Garcia does in the SEC compared to the American East Conference that Stony Brook plays in.

Watch Garcia’s redshirt junior season highlights here:

How Georgia basketball’s 2020 recruiting class ranks nationally

Georgia basketball rises multiple spots in national college basketball 2020 recruiting rankings.

Following the expected news of Georgia basketball’s star freshman shooting guard Anthony Edwards leaving UGA after one year for the NBA Draft, junior forward Rayshaun Hammonds announced he will also be leaving in hopes of NBA glory.

The Dawgs’ third year head coach Tom Crean will need to replace the 32 points and 12.6 rebounds a game that Edwards and Hammonds produced last season.

Crean’s 2020 recruiting class isn’t quite what his 2019 class was, finishing 11th in all of college basketball (big thanks to Edwards), but it’s starting to attract some attention.

The Dawgs currently have one more spot open for their 2020-21 roster with seven players leaving and six players coming in.

The top man headlining Georgia’s 2020 recruiting class is point guard K.D. Johnson. Johnson is a 4-star recruit out of Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and is 247Sports number 17 point guard in the country for the 2020 class.  Johnson broke the top-100 national recruits, recently rising 34 spots to the 93rd best player in the country. Check out some of Johnson’s highlights here.

Another big signing for the Bulldogs this offseason was power forward Josh Taylor.  Taylor, the 6-foot-8, 200 pound power forward out of Norcross, Georgia, is rated as the 24th best power forward in the 2020 class, and the 120th best overall player.

Jonathan Ned, Mikal Starks and Tyron McMillan round out the remaining signees for the 2020 class, along with graduate transfer Justin Kier from George Mason University.

Ned, Starks and McMillan are all coming to Athens from junior colleges and should be nice additions for the Dawgs.  Ned is listed as a 6-foot-9, 200 pound small forward, Starks is listed as a 6-foot-0, 180 pound point guard and McMillan is listed as a 6-foot-8, 225 pound power forward.

Starks and Ned both played at Eastern Florida State College where they excelled as teammates. The two signed their letter of intent together this past November.

Kier averaged 9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists for his senior season at George Mason.  Kier should add some great playmaking ability and leadership to a very young Bulldog team.

The Dawgs 2020 recruiting class still has one spot open and is currently ranked 28th in the nation by 247Sports.  It will be tough losing as much talent as they are, but Crean is holding his own in the nation’s recruiting battle, acquiring some very solid players.

Georgia forward Rayshaun Hammonds makes final decision on NBA Draft

Georgia F Rayshaun Hammonds had made his final decision on his senior year in Athens.

Georgia basketball’s star forward Rayshaun Hammonds announced his final NBA Draft decision on Saturday, via Twitter.

Hammonds will forgo his senior season to pursue the next chapter of his basketball career in the NBA.

Hammonds, who stands at 6-foot-9, 235 pounds, averaged 12.9 points and 7.4 rebounds a game as a junior last season, showing great improvement from his 6.7 and 4.9 as a freshman.  He shot 35% from three-point-range and 46% from the field.

Hammonds was the second-highest scorer on the team behind likely number one overall lottery draft pick Anthony Edwards. The Dawgs’ head coach Tom Crean, entering his third year with UGA, will have to somehow replace the loss of 32 points and 12.6 rebounds a game that Edwards and Hammonds produced last season.

“Rayshaun let me know the other night of his decision and he is following his heart and dreams,” Crean told the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday.  “We will continue to support him in every possible way as he pursues his future and he will always be apart of the Georgia Basketball family and the University of Georgia community.”

Georgia’s 2019-20 season suddenly ended after a victory over Ole Miss in the first-round of the SEC Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crean will also be losing his seniors Tyree Crump, Jordan Harris and Donnell Gresham as well as the transfer of freshman Rodney Howard to Georgia Tech. The Dawgs will have to recruit well and rebuild around their only returning starters Sahvir Wheeler and Toumani Camara.

Recruiting will only get harder with the NBA G-League announcing its new pathway program for high school players to take, detouring the NCAA.  There has already been a ripple effect seen, with the nation’s top high school player Jalen Green entering the pathway program.

“We are in the midst of restructuring and remodeling,” said Crean on the matter of the Dawgs recruiting process. “It will be ongoing each year with the landscape of college basketball.”

 

4-star C Frank Anselem includes Georgia basketball in top-three

Georgia basketball made the top-three for 4-star center Frank Anselem.

On Tuesday night, 4-star center Frank Anselem released his top-three schools.

The 6-foot-10, 220-pound big man narrowed his list down to Georgia, LSU and Alabama.

Anselem, a Georgia native, currently attends Prolific Prep in Napa, California.

He also announced on Twitter that he will be reclassifying from 2021 to 2020. Prior to reclassifying, Anselem was rated as the 76th overall prospect in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Where he will rank among the 2020 class is unknown yet but he should remain as a top-100 player in the country.

Anselem’s reclassifying announcement:

Anselem’s top-three announcement: