ATHENS — Georgia basketball coach Mike White received some significant and welcome news this week when Kario Oquendo informed White he intends to remain in Athens.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports was first with the news. Oquendo did not answer messages seeking confirmation.
The 6-foot-4 guard was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer last season (15.2 points per game). With the addition of guard Justin Hill, a transfer from Longwood University, Oquendo’s return gives Georgia a formidable backcourt and a solid first five around which to build for next season.
Oquendo was one of 10 players from last season’s team to have entered the transfer portal. According to his Twitter timeline, Oquendo had been considering Kentucky, Alabama, Oregon and even the Florida program White just left behind. But he had vowed from the beginning to consider remaining with the Bulldogs, and he decided this week that’s what he would do.
Oquendo’s former teammates were among those trying to convince him to stay. Earlier this week, Georgia forward Jailyn Ingram posted on Oquendo’s Instagram: “Oquendo! Dude please stay in Athens.”
Ingram, a 6-foot-7 forward from Madison, was one of three players from last season’s team to remain with the Bulldogs. Ingram had emerged as a leader after transferring to Georgia from Florida Atlantic last season before a knee injury cut his season short after only nine games. He was averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds.
The other returnees are 6-10 center Braelen Bridges (12.9, 5.6) and 6-8 wing Jabri Abdur-Rahim (6.9, 3.2).
Meanwhile, Hill comes to Georgia from Longwood, the small Virginia program that made some big noise on the way to the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot guard was a driving force for the Lancers’ run to a 26-7 record and Big South championship. He led the team in scoring (14.2 ppg) and assists (4.2 pg) and averaged 4.8 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Oquendo was by far the most dynamic and athletic player on Georgia’s basketball team last season. He quickly earned a reputation for his rim-rattling dunks. A rising junior with NBA aspirations, Oquendo needs to improve his 3-point shooting (27% last season) and ballhandling (75 turnovers). But his return instantly bolsters a roster that had been stripped bare since the Bulldogs made the transition from coach Tom Crean to White.
With Oquendo back in the fold, eight players from the 2021-22 team and one signee are in the NCAA’s transfer portal. Noah Baumann, a 6-6 set-shot specialist from Phoenix by way of USC, was the latest to seek a new address. Baumann joined Jaxon Etter, Jonathan Ned, Ty McMillan, Christian Wright, Cam McDowell, Josh Taylor, Tyrone Baker and J.T. Elder.
White inherited a program that went 6-26 last season and hasn’t had a postseason bid in five seasons. Now White and his staff have to get busy finding another eight players to round out the roster.
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