Georgia basketball’s Smurf Millender: confident, clutch and ‘never rattled’

Smurf Millender will never be the tallest player on the basketball court. That’s been the case since he first donned a jersey.

The junior guard stands at 5-foot-11, tied for the shortest on Georgia basketball’s team.

But what Millender lacks in size, he more than makes up for in confidence.

“You have to play with heart,” Millender said. “You’ve got to go out there and do what you can do to impact the game.”

Millender has impacted plenty of games for Georgia this season, displaying quite the clutch gene with two game-winning shots. His latest came Tuesday night against Missouri, when he nailed a layup with five seconds remaining in Georgia’s 74-72 victory.

Millender waved to the Missouri crowd after the Tigers’ final shot fell short, celebrating all the way to the visiting locker room.

“He’s a gamer,” UGA coach Mike White said. “He’s really fun to coach. He’s got ultra confidence. … He’s never rattled.”

Millender maneuvered around Missouri’s Shawn Phillips Jr., a 7-foot center, to make the basket. The size discrepancy did not phase the Bulldog, who bounced the ball off the backboard for the go-ahead shot.

Why should it, when Millender is long accustomed to being outsized?

“Don’t tell Smurf he’s 5-11,” White said. “He thinks he’s 6-8.”

Millender is used to others weighing in on his height. He denied anyone ragging him about it — at least at Georgia — but understands his shorter stature is a topic of conversation. He doesn’t care. He has plenty of other qualities that make him succeed, like the trust of his teammates.

“They (Millender and sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson) play with a really unique level of confidence,” White said. “We put that ball in his hands.”

Millender, a native of Houston, transferred to Georgia after stints at South Alabama and Texas-San Antonio. He is averaging around 12 points, three rebounds and three assists per game for a Georgia program that leads the country with 94.8 points per outing. Millender’s latest performance included 18 points, four rebounds and one assist against Missouri.

His knack for performing under pressure likely stems from his childhood, when his father challenged him and his brothers with tough environments. The pressure ensured Millender and his siblings remained composed, a skill now evident in his game.

“I just feel like I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder, just doing anything,” Millender said. “And I learned that from him.”

Millender also dabbled in football growing up, playing running back and safety. However, his speed eventually dwindled, and his love for basketball grew.