Changes continue for teams with new coaches at reins
Both of Georgia’s basketball programs are in a transitional period following the firing of former men’s basketball head coach Tom Crean and the departure of former women’s basketball head coach Joni Taylor.
After hiring former Florida head coach Mike White and former Central Florida head coach Katie AbrahamsonHenderson, both teams have experienced significant turnover.
Here are all the player and staff changes on both Georgia basketball teams so far this offseason as of April 19.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Following a turbulent 2021 offseason, Georgia has seen a continuation of transfer portal exodus.
Dalen Ridgnal began the transfer wave following Crean’s March 10 firing. Ridgnal played 287 minutes for the Bulldogs in the 2021-22 season and has since committed to Missouri State.
One week after Ridgnal, Georgia saw an additional three players enter the portal. Cam McDowell, Tyrone Baker and Christian Wright, all freshmen, notified Georgia of their transfer intentions. Wright alone accounted for more than 700 minutes last season, and he averaged 5.3 points per game.
The next day, two more players, Josh Taylor and Kario Oquendo, entered the transfer portal. Oquendo, who led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15.2 points per game, has since announced his return to Georgia next fall.
Tyrone McMillan entered the portal the following day, which capped a three-day span where six Bulldogs declared their transfer plans.
Jaxon Etter and Jonathan Ned entered the portal on April 7 and 8, respectively, stripping Georgia of some of its longest-tenured talent. Noah Baumann, Georgia’s 3-point specialist, announced his new home at Grand Canyon University on April 18, momentarily ending Georgia’s roster drain.
White wants versatile players who will take accountability on the court, as he referenced at his introductory press conference.
“‘Do your job,’ right, the old Bill Belichick,” White said. “We’re going to have split second jobs throughout the game, and that’s accountability, and we talk about that a lot. Did you block out or not? Did you close out with high hands or not? Did you sprint back and communicate or not? We’re going to practice doing that at a high level every single day.”
Senior Braelen Bridges committed to a super-senior season in Athens, announcing the move five days after Oquendo’s decision to return. Justin Hill from Longwood University also committed to Georgia after averaging 14.2 points per game in the Big South Conference.
On April 18, Georgia landed Bradley men’s basketball guard Terry Roberts from the portal. Roberts was named to the First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference last season after averaging 14.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. Roberts played with Oquendo two years ago at Florida Southwestern.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
In the aftermath of Taylor’s departure and Abrahamson-Henderson’s hiring, a number of Georgia players have entered the transfer portal. Sarah Ashlee Barker was the first, announcing her intention to transfer on the day Taylor was hired by Texas A&M. Barker has officially joined Alabama’s roster.
Two days later, Reigan Richardson announced that she was entering the transfer portal. She has yet to pick a new home as of April 19.
Tineya Hilton announced her entry into the portal on March 30, and two weeks later announced she would be joining Texas A&M, following Taylor to College Station, Texas.
On April 5, Jillian Hollingshead entered the transfer portal, becoming the fourth member of last year’s roster to make that decision. Hollingshead struggled with injuries last season, playing in just 20 games. Her most notable performance came against Dayton in the NCAA Tournament, posting 15 points.
Georgia also lost commitments from 2022 five-star Janiah Barker, four-star Sydney Bowles and 2023 four-star Diana Collins, a major hit to those two recruiting classes.
While the roster unrest left Abrahamson-Henderson in a difficult position as far as roster construction, she hasn’t wasted any time in bringing in some familiar reinforcements.
Abrahamson-Henderson has brought four players to Athens so far, and they all fit with the philosophy she put forth at her introductory press conference.
“In my experience, and all the championship teams I’ve played, the common theme is lockdown defense,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “I know everybody wants to see pretty 3-point shots, but the teams that are playing in the NCAA Tournament and the teams that are playing in the Final Four, they have lockdown defense.”
Two players who played for Abrahamson-Henderson at UCF, guard Diamond Battles and forward Brittney Smith, committed to Georgia this month.
Battles played in 111 games for the Golden Knights from 2018-22, starting in her last two seasons. She averaged 13.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game last season.
Wright also played for UCF from 2018-22, appearing in 112 games. She averaged 10.8 points and 6 rebounds per game last season.