Georgia basketball offseason tracker: Player movement, staff changes and other news
Georgia basketball's offseason is underway after coach Mike White and the Bulldogs reached the NIT semifinals and finished with a 20-17 record.
White will retool his roster once again, heading into a third season, to find the right pieces to get Georgia to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
Check back here for updates on players going in the transfer portal and the Bulldogs dipping in the portal for additions. Keep tabs as well for any staff changes that also may come.
Georgia basketball adding guard Jordyn Kee to incoming class
May 29: Georgia basketball is adding an eighth newcomer to its roster for next season.
Three-star guard Jordyn Kee from Sagemont School in Weston, Fla., announced on Instagram Live Wednesday morning that he’s committed to Georgia.
Coach Mike White indicated Tuesday at SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Fla., that an addition to the class was coming Wednesday.
Kee is the third high school prospect in the class and the Bulldogs also added five transfers.
The 6-foot-4, 170-pound Kee is rated as the nation’s No. 47 combo guard in the 2024 class.
What’s up Athens!! 🐶🔴⚫️ #committed #UGA #family pic.twitter.com/h81P5oIoUc
— Jordyn Kee (@Jordyn1kee) May 29, 2024
Georgia baskeball center Frank Anselem-Ibe hitting transfer portal
April 30: Frank Anselem-Ibe, who played an important run in Georgia's run to to the NIT semifinals after a reserve role in the regular season, is set to enter the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-10 senior center, who spent two seasons with Georgia after transferring from Syracuse, told On3 about his plans.
It came a day after Georgia landed a commitment from 6-10 top 50 prospect Somto Cyril from Overtime Elite. Georgia also last week added 6-9 Appalachian State transfer Justin Abson, the Sun Belt Conference defesive player of the year.
Anselem-Ibe will become the seventh player from last year's team to enter the portal, joining Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence), Justin Hill (Wichita State), Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (Seattle), Jalen DeLoach (Loyola Chicago), RJ Melendez and Mari Jordan.
Anselem-Ibe averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds a game last season, but scored 10 points with 10 rebounds in an NIT quarterfinal win at Ohio State.
Georgia adding Mount St. Mary's Dakota Leffew from transfer portal
Georgia has landed a third player out of the transfer portal.
For the second time, it’s a player from Mount St. Mary’s.
Dakota Leffew, who led his team at 17.6 points and 3.9 assists while averaging 4.3 rebounds per game last season, posted on Instagram on Saturday that’s he’s committed to the Bulldogs.
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Leffew is from Hampton and played at Jonesboro High.
He led Mount St. Mary’s. with 74 3-pointers while shooting 36.5 percent on 3s.
Leffew was a first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection and scored 20 or more points 13 times last season.
His teammate, De’Shayne Montgomery, was announced this week as signing with Georgia.
Georgia basketball adds shot-blocker Justin Abson from Appalachian State
April 24: Georgia has added its second player this cycle from the transfer portal.
Appalachian State forward Justin Abson, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound rising junior from Pompano Beach, Fla, announced his commitment on social media Wednesday morning.
Abson was the Sun Belt defensive player of the year last season and had 165 blocks in two college seasons. He blocked eight shots in one game last season against James Madison and was the only player in Division I with at least six games of six blocks or more.
Abson averaged 7.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and a single season school-record 96 blocks for a team that went 27-7 and lost in the first round of the NIT to Wake Forest. He shot 61.9 percent from the field.
Abson was also being recruited out of the portal by Michigan, Miami and Xavier, according to On3.
Athens wassup??? #Committed pic.twitter.com/jI0Pua0Pt2
— Justin 🐴 (@JustinAbson21) April 24, 2024
Georgia basketball's RJ Melendez set to hit transfer portal
April 23: Rising senior RJ Melendez is set to become the sixth Georgia player from this past year's team to head to the transfer portal.
The move was first reported by Jeff Goodman of Field of 68. Melendez announced his move a year ago from Illinois to Georgia on that platform.
The 6-foot-7 native of Puerto Rico averaged 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds a game last season and was second on the team with 40 steals.
He scored 35 points at Florida in January in an overtime loss and hit three straight games of double figure scoring including the NIT win against Xavier before playing just 9, 12 and 12 minutes in the final three games of the season in the NIT.
Georgia basketball lands combo guard De’Shayne Montgomery
April 18: Georgia has picked up its first transfer this recruiting cycle. Mount Saint Mary’s guard De’Shayne Montgomery committed to the Bulldogs. Here's our story about the newest Bulldog.
Georgia basketball freshman Mari Jordan latest to enter transfer portal
April 9: A Georgia basketball freshman is the latest to head to the transfer portal.
Mari Jordan from Norcross High, a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite in the 2023 class, confirmed to the Athens Banner-Herald he’s entered the portal. He becomes the fifth player from last season’s team to hit the portal.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Jordan did not play at all in his first season in college after averaging 16.6 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior. He played his first three seasons in high school at Dacula.
Jordan was one of four freshman on the team. Coach Mike White had mentioned an injury contributed to Jordan not playing. Jordan had committed to Georgia when Tom Crean was coach.
Jabri Abdur-Rahim from Georgia basketball entering transfer portal and entering name in draft
April 9: Jabri Abdur-Rahim, one of Georgia basketball’s top player before an ankle injury sidelined him late in the season, is the fourth Bulldog to announce he’s headed to the transfer portal. Abdur-Rahim said he's also "exploring my NBA draft prospects."
The shooting guard who spent three seasons with the Bulldogs announced his decision Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.
Abdur-Rahim averaged 12.2 points and finished second on the team with 62 3-pointers. He started all but two of the 29 games he played this past season.
Abdur-Rahim transferred to Georgia after a season at Virginia and played a season under Tom Crean.
Love Dawgnation ♾️❤️ pic.twitter.com/sHWJDf1RlD
— Jabri (@jabri404) April 9, 2024
Georgia Bulldogs reserve Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe entering portal
April 8: Georgia basketball forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe is entering the transfer portal, he posted on his Instagram account Monday afternoon.
The 6-foot-8 Toronto native, who transferred from Oklahoma State, played in 16 games this season, averaging 1.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. He's the third Georgia player to announce Monday he's entering the portal.
Moncrieffe started 26 games in 2022-23 for Georgia averaging 5.5 points and a team-best 5.1 rebounds but played in just three SEC games in the regular season this year.
Coach Mike White said his teammates were thrilled when he got into a late season game at LSU.
“It was the whole team, wasn't just the other four in the game, and it just kind of shows you who he is,” White said.
Georgia Bulldogs guard Justin Hill to enter transfer portal
April 8: A second Georgia basketball player has made plans to enter the transfer portal.
Justin Hill, a point guard who was the top player off the bench this season for the Bulldogs, is putting his name in the portal, he told Greenlight Media.
Hill led the Bulldogs this season with 3.2 assists per game, but started only three games as freshman Silas Demary Jr. started all but one game.
He was fifth on Georgia in scoring at 9.5 points per game and made 39 of 117 3-point attempts.
The 6-foot Houston native spent two seasons with the Bulldogs after playing two seasons at Longwood.
Hill scored a season-high 21 points in the NIT win at Wake Forest and sank the game-winning shot with 1.5 seconds to go in a victory at Florida State in November.
Justin Hill is entering the Transfer Portal, he tells @atlgreenlight. The 6’0 PG averaged 9.5PPG and 3.2AST last season at UGA.
Quick and crafty PG that creates off the dribble. Spent the last 2 seasons at UGA after being All-Big South at Longwood.@JustinHill_11 pic.twitter.com/W0fsNAc2sd— GREENLIGHT MEDIA (@atlgreenlight) April 8, 2024
Jalen DeLoach hits the transfer portal after one Georgia basketball season
April 8: Georgia basketball’s first player to hit the transfer portal this cycle is Jalen DeLoach.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Savannah native started six games for the Bulldogs, including four February SEC games, averaging 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 31 games. His father, Rob, told the Athens Banner-Herald that DeLoach’s name is in the portal.
DeLoach transferred in after two years at VCU, for which he was a third-team All-Atlantic 10 selection. He led Georgia in rebounding five games this season, including seven against Wake Forest in November.
His brother Kalen played linebacker at Florida State and is an NFL draft prospect this month.
Georgia has three players from this year’s team out of eligibility: guard Noah Thomasson, center Russel Tchewa and forward RJ Sunahara.
Georgia basketball assistant Akeem Miskdeen joining Michigan staff
April 4: Georgia basketball is losing one of its assistant coaches for the first time since Mike White was hired in 2022.
Akeem Miskdeen is reuniting with Dusty May on his new Michigan staff, Miskdeen confirmed to UGASports.com.
Miskdeen worked under May at Florida Atlantic from 2018-21. May was an assistant under White at Louisiana Tech and at Florida for seven seasons.
Miskdeen also coached under White for one season before spending the last two years with the Bulldogs.
“We’re a big family,” Miskdeen told the Athens Banner-Herald last year. “Our whole coaching tree.”
Miskdeen is a Chicago native who has worked at eight different college programs including Kent State in the midwest. He was paid $277,000 annually at Georgia.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia basketball 2024 tracker: Updates on players, coaches and staff