ATHENS – Noah Baumann had a great weekend. Never mind his 3-for-3 3-point shooting night for the Georgia Bulldogs at Cincinnati on Saturday. Baumann really scored Sunday.
That’s when Baumann dropped to a knee and asked Mackenzie Moore to marry him. She accepted, and now this whole idea of transferring clear across the country to play for Georgia is going to have a happy ending no matter what happens on the court.
“I wanted to do it in the summer,” said Baumann, a 6-foot-6 guard from Phoenix who played at San Jose State and Southern Cal before joining the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer this summer. “I wanted to do it before basketball season, which isn’t how things turned out. Everything has happened in the last couple days, but it’s been special.”
Baumann’s hoping the trend continues Tuesday night as Georgia plays host South Carolina State at Stegeman Coliseum (7 p.m.). The visitors, also called the Bulldogs (0-4), had a busy first week of the season that included three games in three days at a tournament in Charleston.
Moore and Baumann have known each other since middle school and dated since his junior year at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. But Moore left to play college softball at Miami (Ohio), and Baumann went to California to play basketball. He played his first two seasons at San Jose State, then Baumann transferred to Southern Cal, where he played the past two seasons.
“That was long-distance the whole time,” Baumann said of their relationship. “Then, she was done with softball and graduated, and she didn’t want to keep doing long-distance or go back to Phoenix. So she just came with me to Georgia. She’s been here since Day 1 for me, and I’m thankful for it.”
Fortunately for the future Mr. and Mrs. Baumann, the basketball’s going pretty well, too. While Georgia came up short in a 73-66 loss to the Bearcats at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday, Baumann did what coach Tom Crean brought him here to do. That is to come into the games and give the Bulldogs an instant perimeter scoring threat whenever they need one.
After missing his two 3-point tries in Georgia’s opener against Florida International, Baumann was a perfect 3-for-3 against Cincinnati. Also, his nine points came in a pressurized, competitive environment on the road.
“Noah is a guy, he’s a perfectionist,” Crean said Monday. “He’s learning what we want from him. He’s learning that he’s capable of more. At the same time, we want him ready to shoot and be able to knock down shots. We have to continue to figure out ways to utilize him even more. I think we will. He’s an outstanding young man.”
Baumann has been an outside-shooting specialist since he left high school. He shot 45.8 percent from 3-point range while averaging 8 points per game his first two seasons at San Jose State. After a redshirt season at USC, Baumann shot 35.2 percent from beyond the arc as a backup at USC last season. But he played in 31 of 33 games for the Trojans, who went 25-8 and advanced to the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament.
Baumann came to Georgia seeking a more prominent role on the court while providing leadership and basketball IQ for a team with 10 newcomers. That transition, he said, has been relatively easy.
The geographical transition is another story.
“It’s definitely different form California,” Baumann said of living in Georgia. “I’m not used to the humidity at all. In the summer, it was beating me up. But, no, everything’s been great. Tom Crean has been amazing. The coaching staff has been really good. Being able to play with the guys has been really good. Athens is amazing.”
It helps to have a partner-for-life in tow.
“I never thought it would be as perfect as it is,” Baumann said. “I’ve got my girlfriend with me, now my fiancée. So, it’s been amazing being with her and basketball. It’s all I could ask for.”
Crean likes it, too. He said he got a heads-up on the proposal, which was captured from afar by a hidden photographer.
“I’m really happy and excited for him and what he was able to do yesterday,” Crean said of the proposal. “I know how proud he was. We talked about it in the late morning, and he gave me the heads up. I’m really, really proud of him.”
Dawg Tags: The AJC presents a daily look at the one thing you need to know about Georgia athletics today.
About the Author
