Somto Cyril believes Georgia basketball can ‘make a run for it’
ATHENS — Georgia basketball is projected to make the NCAA tournament again this season, and returning center Somto Cyril can tell you why.
“I know people on the outside look and say, ‘They are a small-sized team,’ but we really have the heart to compete,” said the muscular 6-foot-11 Cyril, who has chiseled away 10 pounds of body fat and weighs in at a lean 250. “When we go against each other every day, we go at it.
“If you watched us practice, you’d go, ‘Hmm, they have a chance, might be better than last year’s team.’”
That’s saying a mouthful with last season’s top two scorers having moved on, Asa Newell to the NBA as the first-round pick of the Hawks and former point guard Silas Demary Jr. transferring to Connecticut.
It will be a new-look Bulldogs basketball team debuting before fans at 7 p.m. Oct. 15 in Atlanta, when they face Georgia State in an exhibition game.
Coach Mike White has shared how Georgia will play faster this season, looking to speed things up and create more open-floor opportunities.
Cyril has worked hard in this offseason to ensure he’s in the middle of it and in position to benefit from the furious pace the Bulldogs have in mind.
“Coach White made it clear from the jump this is our playing style and this is how we’re going to be,” said Cyril, who averaged 13.8 minutes per game last season. “I think I’ve done a good job getting in better shape, running a lot with the guards. ... It’s going to be a game-changer for me in the paint to have space.
“We’ll have more lobs because we’re a running team — fast breaks — it’s going to be really, really good for us.”
Cyril, originally a Kentucky commit, explained why he stayed at Georgia in an era where most players market themselves to other programs.
“It really has to do with who I am as a person. I take pride in figuring things out, and to go in the transfer portal is the easy way out for most people,” Cyril said. “I don’t see myself doing that. ... Coming back here, people question why I did it. It’s just trusting the process.
“I believe I can make things work out right,” He said. “Last year, we went to the NCAA tournament for the first time in nine years, (and) I believe this year, we can make it back and win a game or two or three. Whatever number that is, we can make a run for it.”
White is confident, too, after seeing how his transfer class has transitioned into UGA.
“We’ve got good ball handling, good passing, good shooting, a little bit of experience,” White said this fall. “We’ll see how this group rebounds; last year’s group, we were physically imposing at times, (but) I think this group will score easier. I think we’ll be fun to watch.”
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
