UGA Men’s Basketball
2024
#35 Derrion Reid
2026
Former Dawgs News
UGA Women’s Basketball
Weiszer ABH: UGA women's basketball's Katie Abrahamson-Henderson on latest UCF transfer and year two
“Destiny Thomas, a 6-foot-2, forward, led UCF last year in scoring (10.7 points) and rebounding (11.0) and she’ll play her final college season under the coach she was with her first three seasons.
“Her specific major we didn’t have at Georgia so she really wanted to finish that up,” Abrahamson-Henderson said last week at the SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Fla. “I’m really proud of her for doing that. Her last year she was deciding whether to go in the work force, stay there or come. We just got really blessed with that.”
“We don’t have to fill that many holes,” said Abrahamson-Henderson who did not lose a single player to transfer.
“I’ve coached in a lot of different leagues and our coaches are phenomenal, the players are phenomenal,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Now we’re going to have two new teams coming in (Oklahoma and Texas in 2024-2025). All the coaches are really good. I think every conference I’ve been in there’s always the best teams in the league, but I think in our league, the SEC, at any time, anybody can be really good. We got seven teams in last year, and hopefully we can get more teams in.”
https://www.onlineathens.com/story/...-diamond-battles-ncaa-tournament/70277009007/
Recruiting
SEC Basketball
Alabama
Alabama.com: Alabama basketball hosting transfer big on visit, awaiting another’s decision
“Creighton big Arthur Kaluma will visit Tuscaloosa next week, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. Kaluma, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He’s also visited Kansas State and Kentucky.@
“North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson will commit either Sunday or Monday,”
https://www.al.com/alabamabasketbal...waiting-anothers-decision.html?outputType=amp
Alabama.com: New Alabama basketball arena update amid rising costs, new realities
“The February 2023 estimated cost was $183 million for the facility expected to seat 10,036 for basketball. The university-preferred site for the arena sits just west of McFarland Boulevard, just beyond the parking lot that sits beyond the left field wall of Rhoads Stadium, home of Alabama’s softball program. It would house both Alabama basketball programs as well as the gymnastics team.
In November 2022, UA president Stuart Bell told the Rotary Club costs had risen 30-40%, according to the Tuscaloosa Thread. That puts the number in the $250 million range.
Now Byrne is saying it’s another $30 million more.
“We’ve continued to get several seven-figure-type gifts,” Byrne said last week in Destin. “We haven’t found a $100 million gift so if anyone has somebody out there who can help, let’s talk with them. But it’s still a priority for us. We’re still actively raising money for it and it’s a need.”
For the sake of comparison, Auburn opened what’s now known as Neville Arena in 2010. The final price tag for the 9,121-seat arena was $86 million which translates to $119.6 million when adjusted for inflation.
There’s another factor, Byrne alluded to, in his answer from last week.
“At the same time too, in the world we’re in now,” Byrne said. “The infrastructure is important, but making sure you have all the other things including NIL is just as important.”
A day short of the arena’s initial approval one-year anniversary, Yea Alabama launched. The official NIL collective for Crimson Tide athletics went live Feb. 2, 2023, and the donations solicited in that space will have some degree of impact on money going to the arena fund.
In terms of construction costs, there’s a flurry of activity nationwide.
The Buffalo Bills on Monday broke ground on its $1.54 billion stadium while new NFL stadiums or major renovations are in the works for the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Sports Business Journal in January reported $4 billion worth of new or renovated athletics facilities were set to open this year -- down from $6.2 billion in 2022 -- but noted big days were coming. More than $28.5 billion worth of projects were scheduled to be completed between 2024 and 2027, which the SBJ reported was the biggest backlog they’ve seen since first tracking this activity in 1998.
A few months earlier, Fortune wrote about inflation’s impact on stadium construction. It noted the cost of materials jumped 35.7% since January 2020 -- a time when Alabama was in the middle of a $106 million upgrade to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The National Association of Homebuilders noted concrete prices were the highest since 1989.
Still, that wasn’t slowing construction, the head of Sports Finance Group at U.S. Bank said in the Fortune piece.
“I have not yet seen decisions change on whether to do a project or not do a project because of the cost,” said Mulvihill, whose group helped finance the $5-plus billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. “It’s just more changing how are we going to fund this, how much is it going to cost rather than changing are we going to do this or not?”
Funding for university projects is quite different from most big-league stadiums that lean on taxpayer money. The Bryant-Denny Stadium upgrades completed in 2020 originally came with a $75.5 million price tag before jumping to $92.5 million and eventually $106 million. When it was a $92.5 million project, $25 million was set to come from the Crimson Standard fundraising drive with $48.4 million coming from bonds.
The Feb. 2023 paperwork filed with the trustees said the project would be funded from a combination of Crimson Standard cash and gifts as well as future general revenue bonds.
Those same documents came with a project timeline that called for bids to be taken by April 2023 -- the fourth step in the approval process that’s still to reach the second tier.
Byrne said he speaks regularly with Alabama basketball coaches Nate Oats and Kristy Curry “regularly” on the arena matter.
“It’s still a priority for us,” Byrne said last week in Destin. “We’re still actively raising money for it and it’s a need. Coleman is over 50 years old. That’s not getting younger. It’s about the same age as I am so we need to find a long-term solution for that.”
https://www.al.com/alabamabasketbal...ising-costs-new-realities.html?outputType=amp
Arkansas
Norlander CBS Sports: 2023 NBA Draft: Inside Anthony Black's winding journey from bright football future to likely top-10 pick
https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...bright-football-future-to-likely-top-10-pick/
Auburn
Alabama.com: Auburn basketball gets commitment from JUCO forward
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball...mitment-from-juco-forward.html?outputType=amp
Florida
Rivals.com: Commitment at a glance: Florida lands dynamic 7-footer Jon Bol
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...glance-florida-lands-dynamic-7-footer-jon-bol
Kentucky
Goodman: There’s nothing wrong with having some talented freshmen, but in this day and age you better have some older dudes with those young guys.
Even when they won it in 2012 with Anthony Davis & MKG, they had Darius Miller - and Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones had a year under their belts.
Missouri
“In the 2023 cycle, #Mizzou had some for of engagement with 87 prospects, with a slight tilt toward the transfer market. It hosted 16 officials visits. Nine of those players ultimately committed.”
College Basketball
Charlotte Observer: Could 2024 NC basketball class top the charts? 7 in-state players in latest national top 50
https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/high-school/article276264871.html
Dellenger SI.com: IRS Says Donations Made to Nonprofit NIL Collectives Are Not Tax Exempt
https://www.si.com/college/2023/06/10/irs-name-image-likeness-collectives-not-tax-exempt
Central Florida
Sun Sentinel: UCF AD insists basketball program possesses ‘right ingredients’ with Johnny Dawkins heading into Big 12
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/06/10/ucf-knights-basketball-johnny-dawkins-big-12/
Connecticut
Hartford Courant: How will Tristen Newton’s role evolve for the 2023-24 UConn men’s basketball season?
https://www.courant.com/2023/06/10/...for-the-2023-24-uconn-mens-basketball-season/
Hartford Courant: Newest Husky Cam Spencer didn’t waste much time after seeing UConn campus
https://www.courant.com/2023/06/09/...nt-waste-much-time-after-seeing-uconn-campus/
Dayton
Indiana
Daily Hoosier: All three IU basketball assistants to attend USA Basketball camp for key 2024 recruiting targets
“Indiana is sending all three of its assistant coaches on Sunday to the 2023 USA U19 Men’s National Team Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado…
Asa Newell is also a top-10 5-star who visited IU last fall. His recruitment has been relatively quiet of late, but the power forward consistently mentions the Hoosiers as one of the main schools involved in his recruitment. Georgia is another school regularly mentioned for the 6-foot-9 Newell. His brother plays for Georgia and his family is from Athens, Ga., home of the University of Georgia.”
https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/all...ketball-camp-for-key-2024-recruiting-targets/
Kansas State
Kennesaw State
Rocco Miller: Indiana will host Kennesaw State as part of its 23-24 non-conference schedule, per multiple sources.
The date is set for Friday, December 29th at Assembly Hall.
https://twitter.com/roccomiller8/status/1666931909555830786?s=46&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
Michigan State
Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball: Breaking down Tom Izzo's roster as the Spartans chase greatness
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...sketball-2023-24-roster-analysis/70308081007/
Penn State
Trilly Donovan: Mike Rhoades caps off his first class at Penn State with a commitment from D’Marco Dunn. Pretty solid group to head into the B10 with. Very excited to see what Ace Baldwin can do against some elite competition.
https://twitter.com/trillydonovan/status/1666918035804790790?s=46&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
Rutgers
Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: As Paul Mulcahy enters transfer portal, one comment rings true
https://www.app.com/story/sports/co...l-mulcahy-enters-transfer-portal/70264820007/
Syracuse
The Athletic: With Jim Boeheim retired, can zone defense still work in college basketball?
““Coaches allow players to shoot further out,” Baylor coach Scott Drew says. “That’s made it harder to zone as well, because usually you’re open from 25 (feet).”
Drew used to lean a lot on the zone but went away from it in 2019-20, adopting the no-middle, man-to-man defense as his primary attack. The next year, he won a national championship with the Bears.
Across the country, there has been a similar decline in the frequency of zone being played. During the 2015-16 season, 70 teams played zone at least one-third of their defensive possessions, according to per-possession logging by Synergy. Last season, only 15 teams played zone as much as one-third of their possessions. The teams that zone the most are usually at the lower levels.
The fear for most coaches is the 3-point shot, and that’s the first reason Autry cites in his decision to play less zone. At its best, Syracuse was long up front and its guards could cover both the 3-point line between the slots and make it difficult to enter the ball into the middle…”
https://theathletic.com/4576362/2023/06/08/syracuse-boeheim-zone-defense-basketball/?amp=1
UAB
Alabama.com: UAB basketball adds two conference champions to 2023-2024 schedule
https://www.al.com/uab/2023/06/uab-...ons-to-2023-2024-schedule.html?outputType=amp
Utah State
Herald Journal: USU men’s basketball: New Aggie coach excited to see players in action
https://www.hjnews.com/sports/usu/u...cle_8b09ffee-071c-11ee-90fb-f308fc191cef.html
Western Kentucky
WCLU: GEORGIA TECH GRAD TRANSFER RODNEY HOWARD SIGNS WITH WKU BASKETBALL
https://www.wcluradio.com/2023/06/0...sfer-rodney-howard-signs-with-wku-basketball/
NBA
Denver
Denver Post: Why is America last to realize what world knows? Nikola Jokic is best hooper on the planet.
https://www.denverpost.com/2023/06/07/nuggets-nikola-jokic-nba-finals-serbia-kiszla-column/amp/
2024
#35 Derrion Reid
2026
Former Dawgs News
UGA Women’s Basketball
Weiszer ABH: UGA women's basketball's Katie Abrahamson-Henderson on latest UCF transfer and year two
“Destiny Thomas, a 6-foot-2, forward, led UCF last year in scoring (10.7 points) and rebounding (11.0) and she’ll play her final college season under the coach she was with her first three seasons.
“Her specific major we didn’t have at Georgia so she really wanted to finish that up,” Abrahamson-Henderson said last week at the SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Fla. “I’m really proud of her for doing that. Her last year she was deciding whether to go in the work force, stay there or come. We just got really blessed with that.”
“We don’t have to fill that many holes,” said Abrahamson-Henderson who did not lose a single player to transfer.
“I’ve coached in a lot of different leagues and our coaches are phenomenal, the players are phenomenal,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Now we’re going to have two new teams coming in (Oklahoma and Texas in 2024-2025). All the coaches are really good. I think every conference I’ve been in there’s always the best teams in the league, but I think in our league, the SEC, at any time, anybody can be really good. We got seven teams in last year, and hopefully we can get more teams in.”
https://www.onlineathens.com/story/...-diamond-battles-ncaa-tournament/70277009007/
Recruiting
SEC Basketball
Alabama
Alabama.com: Alabama basketball hosting transfer big on visit, awaiting another’s decision
“Creighton big Arthur Kaluma will visit Tuscaloosa next week, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. Kaluma, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. He’s also visited Kansas State and Kentucky.@
“North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson will commit either Sunday or Monday,”
https://www.al.com/alabamabasketbal...waiting-anothers-decision.html?outputType=amp
Alabama.com: New Alabama basketball arena update amid rising costs, new realities
“The February 2023 estimated cost was $183 million for the facility expected to seat 10,036 for basketball. The university-preferred site for the arena sits just west of McFarland Boulevard, just beyond the parking lot that sits beyond the left field wall of Rhoads Stadium, home of Alabama’s softball program. It would house both Alabama basketball programs as well as the gymnastics team.
In November 2022, UA president Stuart Bell told the Rotary Club costs had risen 30-40%, according to the Tuscaloosa Thread. That puts the number in the $250 million range.
Now Byrne is saying it’s another $30 million more.
“We’ve continued to get several seven-figure-type gifts,” Byrne said last week in Destin. “We haven’t found a $100 million gift so if anyone has somebody out there who can help, let’s talk with them. But it’s still a priority for us. We’re still actively raising money for it and it’s a need.”
For the sake of comparison, Auburn opened what’s now known as Neville Arena in 2010. The final price tag for the 9,121-seat arena was $86 million which translates to $119.6 million when adjusted for inflation.
There’s another factor, Byrne alluded to, in his answer from last week.
“At the same time too, in the world we’re in now,” Byrne said. “The infrastructure is important, but making sure you have all the other things including NIL is just as important.”
A day short of the arena’s initial approval one-year anniversary, Yea Alabama launched. The official NIL collective for Crimson Tide athletics went live Feb. 2, 2023, and the donations solicited in that space will have some degree of impact on money going to the arena fund.
In terms of construction costs, there’s a flurry of activity nationwide.
The Buffalo Bills on Monday broke ground on its $1.54 billion stadium while new NFL stadiums or major renovations are in the works for the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Sports Business Journal in January reported $4 billion worth of new or renovated athletics facilities were set to open this year -- down from $6.2 billion in 2022 -- but noted big days were coming. More than $28.5 billion worth of projects were scheduled to be completed between 2024 and 2027, which the SBJ reported was the biggest backlog they’ve seen since first tracking this activity in 1998.
A few months earlier, Fortune wrote about inflation’s impact on stadium construction. It noted the cost of materials jumped 35.7% since January 2020 -- a time when Alabama was in the middle of a $106 million upgrade to Bryant-Denny Stadium. The National Association of Homebuilders noted concrete prices were the highest since 1989.
Still, that wasn’t slowing construction, the head of Sports Finance Group at U.S. Bank said in the Fortune piece.
“I have not yet seen decisions change on whether to do a project or not do a project because of the cost,” said Mulvihill, whose group helped finance the $5-plus billion SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. “It’s just more changing how are we going to fund this, how much is it going to cost rather than changing are we going to do this or not?”
Funding for university projects is quite different from most big-league stadiums that lean on taxpayer money. The Bryant-Denny Stadium upgrades completed in 2020 originally came with a $75.5 million price tag before jumping to $92.5 million and eventually $106 million. When it was a $92.5 million project, $25 million was set to come from the Crimson Standard fundraising drive with $48.4 million coming from bonds.
The Feb. 2023 paperwork filed with the trustees said the project would be funded from a combination of Crimson Standard cash and gifts as well as future general revenue bonds.
Those same documents came with a project timeline that called for bids to be taken by April 2023 -- the fourth step in the approval process that’s still to reach the second tier.
Byrne said he speaks regularly with Alabama basketball coaches Nate Oats and Kristy Curry “regularly” on the arena matter.
“It’s still a priority for us,” Byrne said last week in Destin. “We’re still actively raising money for it and it’s a need. Coleman is over 50 years old. That’s not getting younger. It’s about the same age as I am so we need to find a long-term solution for that.”
https://www.al.com/alabamabasketbal...ising-costs-new-realities.html?outputType=amp
Arkansas
Norlander CBS Sports: 2023 NBA Draft: Inside Anthony Black's winding journey from bright football future to likely top-10 pick
https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...bright-football-future-to-likely-top-10-pick/
Auburn
Alabama.com: Auburn basketball gets commitment from JUCO forward
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball...mitment-from-juco-forward.html?outputType=amp
Florida
Rivals.com: Commitment at a glance: Florida lands dynamic 7-footer Jon Bol
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals...glance-florida-lands-dynamic-7-footer-jon-bol
Kentucky
Goodman: There’s nothing wrong with having some talented freshmen, but in this day and age you better have some older dudes with those young guys.
Even when they won it in 2012 with Anthony Davis & MKG, they had Darius Miller - and Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones had a year under their belts.
Missouri
“In the 2023 cycle, #Mizzou had some for of engagement with 87 prospects, with a slight tilt toward the transfer market. It hosted 16 officials visits. Nine of those players ultimately committed.”
College Basketball
Charlotte Observer: Could 2024 NC basketball class top the charts? 7 in-state players in latest national top 50
| Nat. Rank | Name | School | Ht. | Wt. | College |
| 9. | Drake Powell | Northwood | 6-5 | 170 | UNC |
| 10. | Isaiah Evans | North Mecklenburg | 6-7 | 185 | Duke |
| 22. | Jarin Stevenson* | Seaforth | 6-10 | 200 | Undecided |
| 27. | Jaeden Mustaf | Carmel Christian | 6-5 | 205 | Undecided |
| 42. | Sir Mohammed | Myers Park | 6-6 | 200 | Undecided |
| 43. | Austin Swartz | Cannon School | 6-4 | 180 | Undecided |
| 49. | Rakease Passmore | Combine Academy | 6-5 | 180 | Undecided |
| 52. | Paul McNeil | Richmond Senior | 6-6 | 185 | NC State |
| 61. | Juke Harris | Salisbury | 6-6 | 185 | Wake Forest |
| 69 | Bishop Boswell | Myers Park | 6-4 | 195 | Undecide |
https://amp.charlotteobserver.com/sports/high-school/article276264871.html
Dellenger SI.com: IRS Says Donations Made to Nonprofit NIL Collectives Are Not Tax Exempt
https://www.si.com/college/2023/06/10/irs-name-image-likeness-collectives-not-tax-exempt
Central Florida
Sun Sentinel: UCF AD insists basketball program possesses ‘right ingredients’ with Johnny Dawkins heading into Big 12
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/06/10/ucf-knights-basketball-johnny-dawkins-big-12/
Connecticut
Hartford Courant: How will Tristen Newton’s role evolve for the 2023-24 UConn men’s basketball season?
https://www.courant.com/2023/06/10/...for-the-2023-24-uconn-mens-basketball-season/
Hartford Courant: Newest Husky Cam Spencer didn’t waste much time after seeing UConn campus
https://www.courant.com/2023/06/09/...nt-waste-much-time-after-seeing-uconn-campus/
Dayton
Indiana
Daily Hoosier: All three IU basketball assistants to attend USA Basketball camp for key 2024 recruiting targets
“Indiana is sending all three of its assistant coaches on Sunday to the 2023 USA U19 Men’s National Team Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado…
Asa Newell is also a top-10 5-star who visited IU last fall. His recruitment has been relatively quiet of late, but the power forward consistently mentions the Hoosiers as one of the main schools involved in his recruitment. Georgia is another school regularly mentioned for the 6-foot-9 Newell. His brother plays for Georgia and his family is from Athens, Ga., home of the University of Georgia.”
https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/all...ketball-camp-for-key-2024-recruiting-targets/
Kansas State
Kennesaw State
Rocco Miller: Indiana will host Kennesaw State as part of its 23-24 non-conference schedule, per multiple sources.
The date is set for Friday, December 29th at Assembly Hall.
https://twitter.com/roccomiller8/status/1666931909555830786?s=46&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
Michigan State
Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball: Breaking down Tom Izzo's roster as the Spartans chase greatness
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...sketball-2023-24-roster-analysis/70308081007/
Penn State
Trilly Donovan: Mike Rhoades caps off his first class at Penn State with a commitment from D’Marco Dunn. Pretty solid group to head into the B10 with. Very excited to see what Ace Baldwin can do against some elite competition.
https://twitter.com/trillydonovan/status/1666918035804790790?s=46&t=ZMjWVkLDK9wsud9n5OAWQQ
Rutgers
Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: As Paul Mulcahy enters transfer portal, one comment rings true
https://www.app.com/story/sports/co...l-mulcahy-enters-transfer-portal/70264820007/
Syracuse
The Athletic: With Jim Boeheim retired, can zone defense still work in college basketball?
““Coaches allow players to shoot further out,” Baylor coach Scott Drew says. “That’s made it harder to zone as well, because usually you’re open from 25 (feet).”
Drew used to lean a lot on the zone but went away from it in 2019-20, adopting the no-middle, man-to-man defense as his primary attack. The next year, he won a national championship with the Bears.
Across the country, there has been a similar decline in the frequency of zone being played. During the 2015-16 season, 70 teams played zone at least one-third of their defensive possessions, according to per-possession logging by Synergy. Last season, only 15 teams played zone as much as one-third of their possessions. The teams that zone the most are usually at the lower levels.
The fear for most coaches is the 3-point shot, and that’s the first reason Autry cites in his decision to play less zone. At its best, Syracuse was long up front and its guards could cover both the 3-point line between the slots and make it difficult to enter the ball into the middle…”
https://theathletic.com/4576362/2023/06/08/syracuse-boeheim-zone-defense-basketball/?amp=1
UAB
Alabama.com: UAB basketball adds two conference champions to 2023-2024 schedule
https://www.al.com/uab/2023/06/uab-...ons-to-2023-2024-schedule.html?outputType=amp
Utah State
Herald Journal: USU men’s basketball: New Aggie coach excited to see players in action
https://www.hjnews.com/sports/usu/u...cle_8b09ffee-071c-11ee-90fb-f308fc191cef.html
Western Kentucky
WCLU: GEORGIA TECH GRAD TRANSFER RODNEY HOWARD SIGNS WITH WKU BASKETBALL
https://www.wcluradio.com/2023/06/0...sfer-rodney-howard-signs-with-wku-basketball/
NBA
Denver
Denver Post: Why is America last to realize what world knows? Nikola Jokic is best hooper on the planet.
https://www.denverpost.com/2023/06/07/nuggets-nikola-jokic-nba-finals-serbia-kiszla-column/amp/
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