Offseason reset: Mike White breaks down Georgia’s roster for 2026-27 season

Georgia men’s basketball coach Mike White provided some insight into the upcoming season’s roster Tuesday after the Bulldogs lost 10 players, including seven to the transfer portal, this offseason.

Georgia was 22-11 with a program-best 10 conference wins last season. The Bulldogs earned a second straight NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since 2001-02.

They’ll try to replicate that success without those transfers, most notably Jeremiah Wilkinson to Arkansas, Somto Cyril to Miami, Jake Wilkins and Jordan Ross to California and Dylan James to George Washington.

The Bulldogs are one of three Power Four teams that will return four starters: guards Blue Cain and Marcus “Smurf” Millender, along with forwards Kareem Stagg and Kanon Catchings. They have added five transfers and four freshmen.

It has been a small sample size, but White is pleased with how the team is coming along this offseason. He complimented the group’s overall speed and said the team’s defensive effort will be much improved.

Here is what White had to say about each of his players:

Kareem Stagg: He returns for his second season after playing in 33 games with nine starts and averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds.

“Motor, motor, motor. That’s all we talk about with him,” White said. “He’s versatile offensively and defensively. He’s got a great feel, hands, knows how to use his body, can make shots, you know, at 6-8, 235 with a bunch of bounce. Kareem can also pass, dribble and shoot against switchability defensively. He’s really talented, but he’s got to continue to get out of that comfort zone, stretch himself from an intensity level.”

Kanon Catchings: Back for his second year with Georgia after spending his freshman season at BYU, the native of Brownsburg, Indiana, averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.8 steals and shot 38% from 3-point range.

“It’s some of the same, but his motor did improve a bunch throughout the year,” White said. “He was arguably our best positional defender in league play, where, early in the year, you really struggled in that area. So, he came a long way throughout the year. But I would say being vocal, talking, playing with a little bit more fire at times is what we’d like to see from him.”

Marcus “Smurf” Millender: Possibly the biggest retention piece this offseason was Millender, who returns for his senior year after becoming the Bulldogs’ top facilitator, leading the team with 135 assists (4.1 per game), shooting 39% from long range and averaging 12 points in 33 games.

“He’s going to have a little more on his shoulders. The way that he played down the stretch — let’s do that for 30-something games. Let’s continue to grow as an extension of myself and our staff,” White said. “He turned into a pretty good leader by the end of the year. He’s always led by example. He’s all about the right stuff. Smurf played with bumps and bruises and half a tooth at one point against Georgia Tech. He makes winning plays and takes good shots. He’s a winner.”

Blue Cain: Back for his fourth season at Georgia, Cain started all 33 games last year and averaged a team-high 13.1 points to go with 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals. He shot 46.8% from the field. White is encouraged by the leadership traits Cain has shown this summer.

“His work ethic has got to be off the charts this year, you know, on its own, because we need him to put it all together,” White said. “Blue’s got some leadership stuff to him, and it comes out at times. Probably in the past couple of weeks, he’s shown that more so than any time since he’s been here. So that’s a challenge to him, too. You know what it looks like. You know how we do things, and you know what’s not accepted here. With all of these nine new guys, he and Smurf, him as much as anyone, need to be, ‘Hey, this is how we do it. Follow me.’”

Freddie Dilione V: Dilione is a senior transfer who spent two seasons with Penn State after starting his career at Tennessee in 2023. Last season, he had his best year in college, averaging 14 points, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals.

“A talented kid, man,” White said. “Freddie came from a really good program. He plays at a high, high level, so he’s a proven guy.”

Brady Dunlap: He’s a redshirt junior who played two seasons at St. John’s before transferring to Saint Louis last year. Dunlap averaged 7 points for the Billikens.

“He shoots it as well as any kid I’ve ever coached. He plays really hard,” White said. “Brady’s got some sneaky toughness, too. He’s got some leadership stuff. He knows what winning looks like, having played at St. John’s and Saint Louis. Brady is a really good passer, really efficient offensive player and a diligent defensive positional player with physicality.”

James Scott: A senior forward who averaged 3.9 points and 4.6 rebounds at Ole Miss last season, Scott established himself as an elite shot blocker with 46 (1.3 per game).

“He’s got elite toughness. He is incredibly smart. He’s got a great feel and plays like a high-thinking, experienced five,” White said. “James is probably underrated as a passer, but he really knows; he’s really picked up on what we’re trying to do offensively. He’ll throw in some audibles every once in a while. We all learn from our players every year, and James has already made his imprint on what we’re trying to do. I love coaching him.”

Kemauri Millender: “Kemo” Millender is the older brother of Smurf Millender and a junior transfer from New Mexico Junior College. Last season, Millender averaged 9.5 points and 1.9 assists in 34 games.

“Kemo is a guy that had a lot of success,” White said. “He’s got some good DNA with his brother.”

Andrew Osasuyi: He played at St. Bonaventure as a freshman in 2025, appearing in 33 games and, like Scott, was an excellent rim protector. He averaged 3.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

“He’s fantastic. He plays as hard as anybody on our roster, and he gets after it. This dude plays really hard and can block shots,” White said. “Defensively, can really rim run and puts a ton of pressure on the rim with his intensity level and speed at diving after ball screens and then springing to the next one. His tempo is perfect for what we’re trying to do.”

David Ugonna Ike: He’s a native of Owerri, Nigeria, who played prep ball at NBA Academy Africa.

“David has some girth to him, 7-foot, 250, maybe 260, and can really move for that size. It reminds you of Russel Tchewa’s ability. Russel was 280 with blitz and ball strength. It was incredible. His feet were so good. David’s got a lot of that. He’s much younger and unproven, of course, but he’s a talented kid.”

Mading Kuany: He is a 6-foot-9 freshman from Melbourne, Australia, who played at Iowa United Prep. He was on Australia’s national team for the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and 2023 U16 Asian Championship.

“Mading is a 6-8, 6-9, superlong shooter. He’s working on his ball skills and all that. But right now, he’s got the ability to really switch, get out in the passing lanes and be disruptive. He’s really good on the offensive glass. He can make shots. Mading reminds you a little bit of a younger Jabri Abdur-Rahim. He’s a tall, highly elite shooter, so I’m excited about him.”

Hakeem Weems: Weems is a 6-foot-9 freshman center from Atlanta who was ranked among the nation’s Top 40 prospects at his position, including No. 32 by 247Sports.com and No. 36 by On3.com.