Bulldogs Travel To Rupp To Face Top-10 Kentucky

Saturday, January 20

Lexington, Ky.

6:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Kentucky

January 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 18: Georgia (13-4, 3-1 SEC) vs. No. 8/10 Kentucky (13-3, 3-1 SEC)
Saturday, January 20 || 6:00 p.m. ET
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center (20,500) || Lexington, Ky.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Flagship: WSB AM 750); (Scott Howard, play-by-play; Chuck Dowdle, color analyst; Adam Gillespie, producer) | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network (Mike Morgan, play-by-play; Jon Sundvold color analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 380
History: UK leads, 131-28 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - UGA, 75-68, on 2/11/23

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 29-20 (2nd season) Career Record: 272-148 (13th season)				Kentucky Wildcats Head Coach: John Calipari Record at UK: 400-116 (15th season) Career Record: 845-256 (32nd season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Abdur-Rahim	12.8	75.5	Points Per Game	90.8	19.4	Reeves
Anselem-Ibe	.591	.423	Field Goal Pct.	.496	.556	Sheppard
Abdur-Rahim	2.3	8.4	3-Pointers Per Game	10.1	2.7	Reeves
Abdur-Rahim	.415	.352	3-Point Pct.	.393	.426	Reeves
Abdur-Rahim	.889	.714	Free >Throw Pct.	.747	.869	Reeves
Tchewa	6.2	38.1	Rebounds Per Game	38.8	7.8	Mitchell
Hill	3.4	12.6	Assists Per Game	18.4	4.2	Sheppard
Hill	2.85	1.14	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	1.89	3.05	Sheppard
Anselem	0.8	3.5	Blocks Per Game	5.6	2.6	Onyenso
Demary Jr.	1.5	6.4	Steals Per Game	8.2	2.5	Sheppard
Demary Jr.	26.8		Minutes Per Game		34.4	Mitchell

The Starting 5...

The Georgia Bulldogs, one of only five of 362 Division I men's basketball teams still undefeated in road games this season, travel to Lexington to face No. 8/10 Kentucky on Saturday at Rupp Arena.
Georgia entered the weekend ranked No. 16 nationally in bench points. The Bulldogs' bench has outscored the its opponents' reserves in 16 of 17games this season (every contest other than the season opener against Oregon) and sports a scoring margin of +243 (+14.3 ppg).
After shooting 34.4 percent and making 8.0 3-pointers per game in non-conference play, Georgia is shooting 37.6 percent on knocking down 9.5 3s per game in SEC action.
Georgia's 10-game winning streak, the Bulldogs' longest since the 1947-48 season, was snapped with last Saturday's setback to No. 5 Tennessee.
Georgia was the nation's only Power conference team to face four Power conference foes in its first five outings. Of those, Oregon and Wake Forest are in the most recently published edition of ESPN's bracketology, while Miami and Providence are two of the first eight "teams out" of the bracket.

The Opening Tip

The Georgia Bulldogs' undefeated road record will face a stiff challenge on Saturday evening when the Bulldogs take on No. 8/10 Kentucky at Rupp Arena. Georgia enters the weekend as one of only five – of 362 – Division I teams with a perfect road record this season along with No. 4/3 North Carolina, Grand Canyon, Saint Mary's and VCU.

Georgia upped its records to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in SEC play with Tuesday's 74-69 victory at South Carolina. That win also improved the Bulldogs to 3-0 in road games. In addition, Georgia also bested Florida State, 68-66, in Tallahassee on Nov. 29 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge and then opened SEC play with a 75-68 win at Missouri on Jan. 6.

The Bulldogs' three-game stretch of road success continues a streaky season for Georgia. The Bulldogs put together a 10-game overall winning streak from Nov. 24-Jan. 13, their longest winning streak since the 1947-48 season. Georgia also produced a 10-game winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum, matching the seventh-longest ever at home and fifth-longest since moving into the Coliseum in 1964.

Georgia is off to a 3-1 SEC start for the second-straight season. The last time the Bulldogs opened league play with back-to-back 3-1 marks was during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns.

Following a 21-point outburst against No. 5 Tennessee last Saturday, Jabri Abdur-Rahim slipped past Noah Thomasson atop Georgia's scoring leaders for the season. The senior from South Orange, N.J., is contributing 12.8 ppg, while Thomasson is chipping in 12.4 ppg. Abdur-Rahim sports team-leading shooting percentages of .415 from 3-point range and an SEC-best .889 at the free throw line.

Three additional Bulldogs are contributing more than 9.0 ppg – RJ Melendez at 9.8, Justin Hill at 9.5 and Silas Demary Jr. at 9.2. Hill also leads Georgia in assists at 3.4 apg and entered this weekend ranked No. 5 in the SEC and No. 42 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.85.

Keeping An Eye On…

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is among UGA's career leaders...
• 4 3FGs from No. 18 Sundiata Gaines
• 5 3FGs from No. 17 Rashad Wright
• 9 3FGs from No. 16 Turtle Jackson
• 29 3FGAs from No. 19 Michael Chadwick

Justin Hill is career statistics wise...
• 25 points from 1,200

RJ Sunahara is
• Played in his 100th career game against South Carolina
• 1 FGAs from 1000

Noah Thomasson is
• 2 assists from 250

Scouting The Wildcats

Kentucky, which is ranked No. 8 and No. 10 in this week's AP and coaches polls, respectively, improved to 13-3 overall and 3-1 in the SEC with a win over Mississippi State on Wednesday.

Kentucky entered this weekend as the nation's top scoring team, averaging 90.8 ppg. The Wildcats also top SEC stats in field goal percentage (No. 13 nationally at .496) and assist-to-TO ratio (No. 4 in the nation at 1.89).

No less than five Wildcats are scoring at a double-digit pace. Antonio Reeves leads UK and is ranked third in the SEC at 19.4 ppg, followed by Rob Dillingham at 14.5 ppg, Tre Mitchell at 13.0 ppg, D.J. Wagner at 12.4 ppg and Reed Sheppard at 11.8 ppg.

Series History With Kentucky

Kentucky owns a 131-28 advantage in the all-time series between UGA and UK. The Bulldogs and Wildcats split two meetings last season, with each team winning on its home floor.

In the most recent matchup last Feb. 11 in Athens, Kario Oquendo continued his trend of big games against Kentucky to lead Georgia in a 75-68 win over the Wildcats.

Oquendo poured in 21 points, Justin Hill chipped in 15 points and dished out six assists with just one turnover, and Braelen Bridges added 12 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting effort from the field.

The Bulldogs led 42-32 at the half; however, Kentucky surged to a 52-48 with 11:53 remaining. Bridges then accounted for eight points in an 13-2 answer that gave Georgia the lead for good.

Earlier last season on Jan. 17 at Rupp Arena, with Wildcats rallied from an 11-point, first-half deficit en route to an 85-71 win.

Terry Roberts scored 21 points to pace the Bulldogs, while Kario Oquendo added 17.

Oscar Tshiebwe led Kentucky with 37 points and 24 rebounds, the second-most boards ever by a Georgia opponent (behind the 27 by Vanderbilt's Clyde Lee on Jan. 11, 1965).

The Bulldogs played an exceptional first half, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 88.9 percent at the line en route to a 42-34 advantage at the intermission.

Tshiebwe scored all of the Wildcats' points in an 11-3 surge to pull Kentucky within 45-43 just 2:41 into the second stanza. After the game was tied 57-57, Kentucky went on to outscore the Bulldogs 28-14 over the final 11:26.

Last Time Out

Silas Demary Jr. equaled his season high with 15 points to lead Georgia in a 74-69 win at South Carolina on Tuesday, the Bulldogs' first win in Columbia since the 2015-16 season.

Demary, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C., led Georgia offensively for the third time this season, including his other 15-point performance at Florida State on Nov. 29. RJ Melendez chipped in 12 points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 10.

The Bulldogs rallied from a nine-point, 48-39 deficit with 14:05 remaining en route to victory. Georgia used a 19-3 surge to go up 58-51 at the 6:37 mark.

The Gamecocks made it a one-possession game four times in the closing minutes, but the Bulldogs answered on each occasion. Georgia was clutch at the line, connecting on 11 of their last 12 chances over the final 4:19.

Georgia outrebounded the Gamecocks, 45-36, and the Bulldogs' bench outscored South Carolina's, 32-13. Georgia is now +79 in bench points in four SEC games.

"It's huge. Our biggest win of the year," head coach Mike White said. "The way we rebounded the ball against a team that – to put it bluntly – is just a better rebounding team than we are. Are we fighting in there at a higher level with more physicality than we were a month ago? Absolutely. Credit to our guys, and you've got to credit our bench again. Guys come in the game and continue to affect the game in different ways, whether they are scoring or not."

Georgia Looks To Extend Exclusive Road Streak

Much was made of Georgia's 10-game winning streak, its longest in 75 years. While that has ended, the Bulldogs travel to Kentucky looking to extend their perfect 3-0 record in road games this season. Georgia is one of the nation's five undefeated teams on the road along with No. 4/3 North Carolina, Saint Mary's, Grand Canyon and VCU.

This year's start is even more impressive considering Georgia was a combined 1-20 on the road the past two seasons, 0-10 in 2021-22 and 1-10 in 2022-23.

In fact, this is the first time the Bulldogs won three road games in an entire season since Georgia went 4-9 in road games during the 2017-18 campaign.

The last time Georgia won back-to-back-back road games was during the 2014-15 season when the Bulldogs defeated Alabama, 66-65 in OT, on Feb. 21; Ole Miss, 76-72, on Feb. 25; and Auburn, 64-61, on March 7.

Bulldogs' Bench Providing Productivity

Georgia enters this weekend ranked No. 16 nationally in benching scoring, with the Bulldogs' reserves contributing 30.5 points per game.

Georgia's reserves have outscored their counterparts in every outing since the season opener.

After being outscored 28-22 in bench points by Oregon, the Bulldogs now sport an impressive +243 scoring margin. That represents a 249-point swing and a massive differential of +15.6 ppg in Georgia's last 16 outings.

The Bulldogs' bench had been even more impressive in SEC play. Georgia's reserves are +79 (+19.8 ppg) against Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and South Carolina.

Bulldogs' Stats Trending Upward In SEC Play

Generally, team's statistical performances slip slightly once Southeastern Conference play starts...the whole tougher competition thing.

On the contrary, many of Georgia's stats have improved over the Bulldogs' non-conference numbers as outlined below.

While we know four games is a relatively small sample size, Georgia is:
• One of four teams with a higher scoring offense in SEC play.
• One of three teams with a higher 3-point field goal percentage in SEC outings.
• One of two teams making more 3-pointers per game against SEC competition.
• One of four teams with a better turnover margin in league contests.

Stat	Non	SEC
UGA's SEC Increases
Scoring Offense	75.4	76.0
3FG Pct.	.344	.376
3FGs Per Game	8.0	9.5
3FG Pct. Def.	.301	.261
Free Throw Pct.	.696	.776
Rebound Margin	-1.6	+1.3
Turnover margin	0.8	1.0

White Begins SEC Slates With Strong Starts

Georgia started SEC play with victories in both of Mike White's first two seasons at UGA, winning at Missouri, 75-68, on Jan. 6 and topping No. 22 Auburn, 76-64, a year ago.

White is the first Georgia men's basketball coach to begin SEC play with a 1-0 record in his first two seasons since...Ralph "Shug" Jordan during the 1946-47 and 1947-48 campaigns. Jordan left Athens in 1951 to become the head football coach at Auburn, his alma mater, where he is now a namesakes of the school's Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Georgia also has started league action with a 3-1 record in both of White's campaigns in Athens. The last time the Bulldogs did that was during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.

White is the first Georgia coach in history to start SEC play with a 3-1 record in his first two seasons.

Dogs' Ball Security Takes Dramatic Turn

During Georgia's first eight games – through the Mercer game on Dec. 1 – the Bulldogs delivered 87 assists while committing 94 turnovers. That equates to an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.93.

During Georgia's last nine games, the Bulldogs have dished out 127 assists while committing just 94 turnovers. That equates to a much healthier assist-to-TO effort of 1.35.

"Don't Look, Ethel!"...Of Steaks and Stuff

Georgia put together a 10-game winning streak from Nov. 24-Jan. 10, tying the fourth-longest in program history and the longest in 75 years since the 1947-48 season as outlined below.

Within their 12-3 start, the Bulldogs were 10-0 at Stegeman, equaling the seventh-longest home winning streak as outlined below and the fifth-longest home streak since Georgia moved into the Coliseum in 1964.

Rk.	Season	No.
UGA Winning Streaks
1.	1912-13 & 1913-14	16
2.	1930-31	13
3.	1947-48	11
4.	2023-24	10
	1930-31	10
6.	2010-11	9
	1982-83	9
	1923-24	9

Rk.	Season(s)	No.
UGA Home Streaks
1.	1912-13 & 1913-14	16
2.	1930-31	13
3.	1947-48	11
4.	2023-24	10
	1930-31	10
6.	2010-11	9
	1982-83	9
	1923-24	9

A Very "Maddening" Schedule

Georgia's 31-game regular-season slate includes 14 matchups – 45.2 percent – against teams featured in the most recently published edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology.

In addition, the Bulldogs played two more contests against squads in the first eight "teams out" of the bracket and defeated projected tourney team Eastern Kentucky in a preseason exhibition.

Double-Digit Win Totals Before The New Year Are Rare

Georgia's 10 wins in November and December represented just the fifth time in program history that the Bulldogs notched a double-digit victory total before the calendar flipped. Three of the previous four teams went on to earn NCAA Tournament bids.

White's Teams Strong In Stegeman...Now And Then

Georgia is 10-1 at Stegeman Coliseum this season, upping the Bulldogs' home record to 23-5 (.821) under head coach Mike White during his two campaigns in Athens.

A year ago, Georgia won its first 10 home games and eventually finished 13-4 at Stegeman, matching Georgia's the second-most regular-season home victories ever.

White's success at Stegeman isn't limited to his time on the Bulldogs' bench. He was 7-1 in the arena as a visiting head coach. White led Louisiana Tech to an NIT victory over Georgia at Stegeman in 2014 and was 6-1 against the Bulldogs in seven seasons at Florida from 2015-22.

All told, White is now 30-6 as a head coach at Stegeman, a sizzling 83.3 winning percentage.

Jabri Among Best Bulldogs At The Line

Jabri Abdur-Rahim already owns spots among Georgia's best game, season and career leaders among the Bulldogs' best free throw shooters ever.

Abdur-Rahim's school-record 10-of-10 effort against Mount St. Mary's represented the 15th time a Bulldog converted on all nine or more FTs in a single contest.

A minimum of 50 made FTs are required for inclusion on the Bulldogs' single-season leaders ledger. Abdur-Rahim surpassed that standard during the Mount St. Mary's game, just the 11th outing of the season. He has now connected on 72-of-81 (.889) free throws, equals the third-best percentage in school history as outlined below.

A minimum of 125 made free throws are needed to be featured among UGA's career FT percentage leaders. Abdur-Rahim has made 192-of-233 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 82.4 percent that currently has him at No. 4 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	Channing Toney ('05)	.910
2.	Joe Ward ('84)	.902
3.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.895
4.	J.J. Frazier ('17)	.886
5.	Lanny Taylor ('70)	.864

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	J.J. Frazier	.841
2.	Dick McIntosh	.831
3.	Juwan Parker	.828
4.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.825
5.	Jerry Epling	.822

BEWARE: Barking Bench Means Bulldogs May Bite

Getting "three stops in a row" is an extremely popular analytical indicator quoted by basketball coaches competing on just about every level. At Georgia, a sequence of three stops in a row is recorded as a "bite" for the Bulldogs.

If you notice various members of the bench barking loudly while Georgia is on the defensive end of the floor, that indicates that the Bulldogs have already posted two consecutive defensive stops and are just shy of taking a "bite" out of their opponent's offensive efforts.

A Challenging Slate Out Of The Gate

Georgia was the only Power conference team to open the 2023-24 season with back-to-back outings against other Power conference programs. The Bulldogs began the year against Oregon in a Naismith Hall of Fame Series date at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas before hosting Wake Forest.

The Power heavy schedule didn't stop there. Georgia played four of its first five, five of its first seven and six of its first nine games against Power conference foes.

Georgia faced Miami, a 2023 Final Four participant, in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship followed by Providence, another NCAA Tournament team last March.

The Bulldogs other two Power conference dates in non-conference action were both versus ACC competition – wins at Florida State on Nov. 29 and over Georgia Tech on Dec. 5.

All told, 24 of Georgia's 31 regular-season games (.774) are against Power conference teams.

A Very "Maddening" Schedule

Georgia is not only playing Power conference teams, it's playing really good Power conference teams – at least according to Joe Lunardi.

The Bulldogs' 31-game regular-season slate includes 13 matchups against teams featured in the most recent edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology. In addition, Georgia also played Oregon, Lunardi's "first team out" of the bracket, in the season opener and defeated Eastern Kentucky, a 14th team projected into the NCAA bracket, in a preseason exhibition.

Cain, Demary Make Their Marks In Collegiate Debuts

Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. made key contributions for Georgia in their collegiate debuts against Oregon in the Naismith Hall of Fame Classic.

Demary became the first true freshman to get a starting nod for the Bulldogs in a season opener since Anthony Edwards in 2019. The Raleigh, N.C., native produced a thorough linescore of eight points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Cain became the first true freshman to notch a double-digit scoring output in the season opener since Edwards and Sahvir Wheeler did so in 2019. Cain posted 12 points off the bench by connecting on 5-of-11 shots from the field and matched Demary for the team high with two steals.

Georgia Signs Top-10 Prospect Asa Newell

Georgia opened the NCAA's early signing period with a bang on Nov. 6 when the Bulldogs signed Asa Newell, the No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings for the Class of 2024.

Newell is the fifth top-100 prospect to sign with Georgia in the last two classes.

The younger brother of current Bulldog Jaden Newell, Asa is a 6-10, 215-pound power forward and a consensus five-star recruit. Asa is the second-highest ESPN.com and third-highest 247Sports.com ranked recruit to sign with Georgia during the internet era. He trails only Anthony Edwards (No. 4 in 2019) on the ESPN.com ledger and only Edwards (No. 2) and Lou Williams (No.6 in 2005) in the 247Sports.com composite. Edwards went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, while Williams elected to turn pro and has enjoyed a 17-year NBA career that includes three NBA Sixth Man of the Year awards.

Newell was a member of USA National Teams for FIBA World Cup tournaments during the past two summers, helping the USA capture a Gold Medal at the 2022 U17 tourney in Malaga, Spain and finish fourth at the 2023 U19 event in Debrecen, Hungary.

Newell is in his second season at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., which finished 23-3 and finished No. 2 nationally in the SCNext Top 25 high school boys' basketball rankings last season.

Both Packs of New Bulldogs Highly Rated

Georgia was one of three programs with both its freshman and transfer recruiting classes ranked among the nation's top-20 groups by On3.com. The Bulldogs' five transfer were tabbed as at No. 11, while the freshmen were featured at No. 18.

All four of Georgia's freshmen were rated as top-100 prospects in the Class of 2023 by various recruiting services. The highest rankings were: Blue Cain at No. 53 by On3.com, Silas Demary Jr. at No. 56 by Rivals.com, Dylan James at No. 78 in the 247Sports.com and Mari Jordan at No. 87 by ESPN.com.

As a class, the freshman were ranked No. 11 by Rivals.com, No. 15 in the 247Sports.com composite, No. 18 by On3.com and No. 20 by 247Sports.com. Georgia's freshmen were the second-highest ranked class in the SEC 247Sports.com's composite ledger of the average ranking of those recruiting services. Ten of 14 SEC schools were ranked among the nation's top-50 freshman classes in the 247Sports.com composite.

A "March Madness" Pedigree

Seven Georgia players have played in the NCAA Tournament at previous schools.

Third-year Bulldog Jabri Abdur-Rahim was a member of Virginia's roster in 2021 when the Cavaliers won the ACC regular-season title en route to March Madness.

Frank Anselem-Ibe, Justin Hill and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who are in their second seasons in Athens, also reached the Big Dance. Anselem-Ibe helped Syracuse reach the 2021 Sweet 16. Hill led Longwood to the 2022 tournament. Moncrieffe played in the 2021 NCAA Tournament while at Syracuse.

Georgia newcomers Jalen DeLoach, RJ Melendez and RJ Sunahara bring NCAA Tournament experience as well. DeLoach helped VCU earn an NCAA bid last spring. Melendez was on Illinois teams that reached the 2022 and 2023 tourneys. Sunahara played in a trio of Division II tournaments at Nova Southeastern, including the Sharks perfect 36-0 march to the 2023 national title.

In addition, Russel Tchewa's Texas Tech team was on the NCAA bubble in 2020 before the championship was canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sunahara Takes One For the Team...accepts new nickname

It's not uncommon for basketball teams to have multiple players with the same first name, but that usually occurs with a rather common name. When a pair of "RJ's" transferred to Georgia during the offseason, it left the coaching staff scratching their heads.

"We're going to have to figure this out," Mike White quipped to the media when discussing the Bulldogs' summer trip to Italy.

It didn't take long for RJ Sunahara to become "Sunny"...at least while he's on the basketball court. Even though his name is pronounced "soon-ah-hara," the 2023 Division II National Player of the Year is now "Sunny." Actually, the nickname fits quite well with Sunahara's Hawaiian heritage.

Bulldogs Tops A-Sun Favorite EKU In Exhibition

Six Bulldogs scored in double figures at Georgia defeated Eastern Kentucky, 99-82, in an exhibition game benefiting the American Red Cross at Stegeman Coliseum on Oct. 30.

EKU returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from a 23-14. The Colonels are the preseason favorite of both media and coaches to win the Atlantic Sun Conference this season and have been a consistent member of ESPN's Bracketology throughout the summer and preseason.

RJ Melendez Georgia with 21 points and added nine rebounds, while Russell Tchewa notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, Noah Thomasson added 15 points and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Blue Cain and Silas Demary Jr. all chipped in 12.

As a team, Georgia shot 54.8 percent from the field.

"I thought we did some good things and we've got a lot to work on," head coach Mike White said. "I was very pleased with their tenacity defensively, and progression and tempo offensively. It was a really fast-paced game."

Georgia opened the game with a 6-0 surge 73 seconds into the contest and lead throughout the entire opening half. The Bulldogs kept the Colonels at bay, ending the half on a 13-3 run and carrying a 21-point lead headed into the locker room. From there, Georgia controlled the second half and was ahead by as many as 24 points.

Forza Dogs...Georgia's Tour Of Italy

Georgia got a jump on preparations for the 2023-24 season during the summer when the Bulldogs ventured to Italy for a three-game international tour from July 20-29.

On the the hardwood, Georgia defeated different teams from the Italian Club Orange Basket Bassano by 39.3 points per game. Each Bulldog dressed out for two of the three games, with nine different players recording one or more double-figure scoring outputs.

Away from basketball, Georgia spent four days in Rome, one day in Florence and two days in Sorrento. The team toured the traditional sites such as Vatican City, The Colosseum, The Forum, Pompeii, Amalfi and Positano. The Bulldogs also enjoyed a cooking class where they prepared – and then dined on – their own pasta and tiramisu.

Designer Genes

We believe that Georgia Basketball's family tree may be the most athletic in the country. Almost every Bulldog has immediate family who competed at the collegiate or professional levels, including:

Jabri Abdur-Rahim – his dad, Shareef, was a 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 NBA All-Star and current president of the NBA's G League; and five of his uncles (Amir, Muhammad, Tahir, Bilal and Malik) played college basketball.

Blue Cain – his mom, the former Myriah Lonergan, played basketball at George Washington and is in GWU's Athletic Hall of Fame; his dad, Chris, played golf at Duke; and his sister, Sophie, is a senior setter on Appalachian State's volleyball team.

Jalen DeLoach – his brother, Kalen, is in his third season as a starting linebacker at Florida State; and his sister, Taylor, was a Big Ten champion in the 400-meter relay at Ohio State.

Silas Demary Jr. – his dad, Silas Sr., played at Virginia State and was the 2005 Arena Football League Defensive Player of the Year for the L.A. Avengers.

Justin Hill – his dad, Keith, played basketball at Michigan State and New Mexico State, where he helped the Aggies reach the NCAA Tourney; his mom, the former Donna Holt, played basketball at Virginia, where she was 1988 ACC Player of the Year and was named to the ACC's Silver Anniversary team in 2002;

Dylan James – his brother, Dorian, is a redshirt senior of North Florida's basketball team; and two additional siblings – brother Darius and sister Charla – played basketball at Lynn University.

Markel Jennings – is distant cousins on his dad's side with NFL players Vernon and Vontae Davis, who both were multiple Pro Bowl selections.

Brandon Klatsky – his dad, Brian, played college basketball at DIII Skidmore; and his brother, Alex, is a redshirt senior on Florida's basketball team.

Jaden Newell – his brother, Asa, the No. 8 overall prospect in 247Sports.com Class of 2024 composite rankings, has signed to join him in Athens next season.

RJ Sunahara – his dad, Reed, was a two-time All-American in volleyball at UCLA and is the current women's volleyball coach at West Virginia; his mom, the former Laura Rekstis, played volleyball at Cincinnati; his grandfather, Peter Rekstis, played football at Cincinnati; his uncle, Chet Moeller, played football at Navy and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Noah Thomasson – his dad, Leon, played football at Texas Southern and for the Atlanta Falcons; and he's distant cousins with Spud Webb on his mom's size.