Bulldogs Back In Action To Host LSU At Stegeman

Wednesday, January 24

Athens, Ga.

6:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

LSU

January 23, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Game 19: Georgia (13-5, 3-2 SEC) vs. LSU (11-7, 3-2 SEC)
Wednesday, January 24 || 6:30 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
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 (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Carolyn Peck, color analyst)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Satellite: SiriusXM 84
History: LSU leads, 70-48 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - LSU, 72-67, on 3/8/23

Georgia Bulldogs Head Coach: Mike White Record at UGA: 29-21 (2nd season) Career Record: 272-149 (13th season)				LSU Tigers Head Coach: Matt McMahon Record at LSU: 25-26 (2nd season) Career Record: 172-93 (9th season)
INDIVIDUAL		TEAM	STATISTIC	TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
Abdur-Rahim	13.9	76.7	Points Per Game	76.6	15.8	Wright
Sunahara	.625	.428	Field Goal Pct.	.459	.714	Dean
Abdur-Rahim	2.6	8.3	3-Pointers Per Game	7.4	1.8	Wright
Abdur-Rahim	.426	.349	3-Point Pct.	.338	.409	Ward
Abdur-Rahim	.883	.719	Free Throw Pct.	.721	.809	Wright
Tchewa	6.4	37.6	Rebounds Per Game	36.8	5.6	Wright
Hill	3.5	12.8	Assists Per Game	12.3	2.6	Wright
Hill	2.52	1.15	Assist-to-Turnover Ratio	0.93	1.41	Williams III
Anselem	0.8	3.5	Blocks Per Game	4.0	0.9	Reed
Demary Jr.	1.6	6.4	Steals Per Game	9.3	2.2	Wright
Demary Jr.	27.2		Minutes Per Game		31.0	Wright

The Starting 5...

Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday evening to host LSU in a matchup of teams sporting 3-2 records in SEC play.
Georgia entered the week ranked No. 19 nationally in bench points at 28.5 ppg. The Dogs' reserves have won the bench point battle in 16 of 18 games and sport a scoring margin of +237 (+13.2 ppg).
After compiling an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.93 (87-to-94) in the first eight games, Georgia's effort has improved considerably to 1.35 (143-106) in the last 10 outings.
Georgia is 10-1 at Stegeman Coliseum, improving to 23-5 (.821) under Mike White. White compiled a 7-1 record as head coach at La. Tech and Florida, making him 30-6 (.833) all time at Stegeman.
Georgia's 10-game winning streak, the Bulldogs' fourth-longest ever and the longest since the 1947-48 season, was snapped with a setback to No. 5 Tennessee in UGA's last home game on Jan. 13.

The Opening Tip

Georgia returns to the friendly – and increasingly raucous – confines of historic Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday evening to host LSU in a matchup of teams with 3-2 SEC records.

The Bulldogs are 10-1 at home this season, with the lone setback coming to No. 5 Tennessee after Georgia led by 11 with 6:24 remaining.

Georgia enters the week at 13-5 overall and 3-2 in SEC play and looking to rebound from last Saturday's 105-96 loss at No. 8/10 Kentucky.

The 2023-24 campaign has been a streaky one for Georgia.

The Bulldogs put together a 10-game winning streak from Nov. 24-Jan. 10, their longest string of success in 75 years since the 1947-48 season.

Georgia also won 10 consecutive games at Stegeman Coliseum, matching the Bulldogs' seventh-longest home winning streak ever and their fifth-longest since moving into the Coliseum in 1964.

Georgia won its first three road outings. The modest three-game winning streak made the Bulldogs – who were a combined 1-20 on the road over the past two seasons – one of the last five (of 362) Division I teams with an undefeated road record this season.

Jabri Abdur-Rahim leads Georgia offensively. The senior from South Orange, N.J. is coming off a career-high 34-point outburst at Rupp Arena that upped his season scoring average a full point per game – from 12.9 to 13.9 ppg. Abdur-Rahim sports team-leading shooting percentages of .426 from 3-point range and .883 at the line. He entered this week ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 26 in the nation in 3-point percentage and No. 3 in the SEC and No. 37 in the nation in FT percentage.

Noah Thomasson also is scoring at a double-digit pace for the Bulldogs at 12.1 ppg, while Silas Demary Jr. and RJ Melendez both are literally within single bucket of double-figure averages at 9.9 ppg. Justin Hill is contributing 9.4 ppg and is the best Bulldog at assisting others' scoring. He is distributing 3.50 apg with a extremely solid assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.52.

Keeping An Eye On…

Jabri Abdur-Rahim is among UGA's career leaders...
• 2 3FGs from No. 16 Turtle Jackson
• 8 3FGs from No. 15 Terrance Woodbury
• 15 3FGAs from No. 19 Michael Chadwick
• 23 3FGAs from No. 18 Rashad Wright

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

Noah Thomasson is
• 1 assist from 250
• 7 points from 1,250

Scouting The Tigers

LSU sports records of 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the SEC entering Wednesday's game in Athens.

The Tigers are one of five teams Georgia will play twice during the 2023-24 regular season along with Arkansas, Auburn, Florida and South Carolina.

Jordan Wright paces the Tigers in virtually every statistic, including scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (5.6 rpg), assists (2.6 apg), steals (2.2 spg) and playing time (31.0 apg). Jalen Wilson, a two-time transfer who became eligible in mid-December, is averaging 14.9 ppg in eight outings. Will Baker provides LSU with a third double-digit scorer at 11.4 ppg.

Wilson and Cook have upped their contributions in SEC playing, averaging 19.0 ppg and 15.2 ppg, respectively, in league action.

Series History With LSU

While Georgia possesses a 29-23 advantage among meetings in Athens, LSU owns a 70-48 edge in the all-time series between the Tigers and the Bulldogs.

UGA and LSU split a pair of contests last season, with the Bulldogs winning in Athens before LSU topped Georgia in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

On Jan. 14 in Athens, Justin Hill's layup with 4.2 seconds remaining lifted Georgia to a 65-63 victory over LSU.

Braelen Bridges led Georgia with 13 points, while Jabri Abdur-Rahim added 11 and Hill chipped in 10.

After the Tigers went up 63-62 on a KJ Williams turnaround jumper in the lane with 11 seconds remaining, Hill immediately took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the floor to connect on a shot high off the glass.

Hill also stole the ensuing inbounds pass and connected on a free throw with 1.0 second remaining to close out the game's scoring.

In the rematch at Bridgestone arena in Nashville on March 8, 14th-seeded LSU opened up a 42-30 halftime lead and then held off the 11th-seeded Bulldogs in the second stanza.

Georgia led twice in the second half, lastly at 61-59 with 3:15 meeting. After the game was tied at 67 with 93 seconds left, the Tigers scored the final five points to pull off the upset.

Last Time Out

Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Silas Demary Jr. put up career-high scoring tallies; however, Georgia could not overcome a hot-shooting Kentucky squad last Saturday. The Wildcats shot 61.9 percent from the floor and 56.0 percent from 3-point range en route to a 105-96 victory at Rupp Arena.

Abdur-Rahim knocked down a career-most seven 3-pointers while exploding for 34 points, the most by a Bulldog since Anthony Edwards' 35-point evening against South Carolina in 2020. Demary put up 22 points, topping his previous career high of 15 points at South Carolina on Tuesday night. In addition, RJ Melendez chipped in 12 points, his ninth double-figure output in Georgia's last 12 contests.

Kentucky raced to a 51-34 halftime lead while 64.5 percent overall and 56.8 percent from behind the 3-point arc. The Wildcats advantage bulged to 28 points with 7:55 remaining before the Bulldogs closed out the night on a 28-9 surge. "This team is resilient," head coach Mike White said. "This team is going to continue to fight and respond. It's a competitive team that plays with pride. We've seen that all year. I was very surprised we dug ourselves that big of a hole, but not surprised at the way that we continued to fight"

Any Scoring Comparison To "Ant" Is Impressive

Jabri Abdur-Rahim's 34 points at No. 8/10 Kentucky represented the most by a Bulldog versus a top-10 team since Anthony Edwards' 37-point showing against No. 3 Michigan State on Nov. 26, 2019 in the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Silas Demary Jr.'s 22 points at Kentucky represented the most by a Georgia freshman against a top-10 team since Edwards' 37-point showing against Spartans in Maui.

Bulldogs' Bench Providing Productivity

Georgia entered this week ranked No. 19 nationally in benching scoring at 30.2 ppg.

The Bulldogs' reserves have outscored their counterparts in 16 of 18 games – every outing other than the season opener versus Oregon and last Saturday's date at No. 8/10 Kentucky.

After being outscored 28-22 in bench points by the Ducks, Georgia's outscored its counterparts in 16 straight games. Despite Kentucky's 31-25 advantage in bench scoring, the Bulldogs still sports an impressive +237 scoring margin in bench points – an advantage of 13.2 ppg.

The bench has been even more impressive in SEC play. Georgia's reserves are +73 (+14.6 ppg).

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.

Dogs' 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 five games is a relatively small sample size, Georgia is:
• One of three 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 four teams making more 3-pointers per game against SEC competition.
• One of three teams with a better turnover margin in league contests.
• One of three teams with an increased assist-to-turnover ratio versus SEC teams.

Stat	Non	SEC
UGA's SEC Increases
Scoring Offense	75.4	80.0
3FG Pct.	.344	.360
3FGs Per Game	8.0	9.0
Free Throw Pct.	.696	.774
Rebound Margin	-1.6	+0.6
Turnover margin	0.8	1.2
Ast.-to-TO ratio	1.14	1.17

Bulldogs Balanced In League Action

No less than five Georgia players are averaging double figures in the scoring column during SEC play. Four of those Bulldogs are producing points at a higher pace than during non-conference games as outlined below.

Freshman Silas Demary Jr. sports the greatest increase in point production, averaging 5.1 ppg more in SEC games than in 13 non-conference outings.

Statistic	Non	SEC
UGA's PPG Increases
Jabri Abdur-Rahim	13.2	16.0
Silas Demary Jr.	8.5	13.6
Justin Hill	8.5	11.6
RJ Melendez	9.8	10.0

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 ever 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 10 games, the Bulldogs have dished out 143 assists while committing just 106 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 12 matchups – 38.7 percent of the schedule – against teams featured in the most recently published edition of ESPN.com's Bracketology.

In addition, the Bulldogs have four more contests against squads in the first eight "teams out" (Providence, Wake Forest and Florida) 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.

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 83-of-94 (.883) 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 203-of-246 FTs while at Georgia, a sizzling 82.5 percent that currently has him at No. 4 all-time among Bulldogs as outlined below. as outlined below.

Rk.	Player	Pct.
UGA Career FT Percentage Leaders
1.	Channing Toney ('05)	.910
2.	Joe Ward ('84)	.902
4.	J.J. Frazier ('17)	.886
3.	Jabri Abdur-Rahim	.883
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.