SEC transfer becomes 10th member of Georgia basketball team

ATHENS – And then there were 10.

That’s how many players have pledged to coach Mike White to play basketball on scholarship for the Georgia Bulldogs next season. The latest addition is Tyrin Lawrence, who comes to UGA from Vanderbilt by way of his hometown of Madison, Georgia.

Lawrence, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard, joins the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer. He was three-year starter and 1,000-point scorer for the Commodores. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a senior last year and scored a season-high 23 points against Kentucky toward the end of the season.

Lawrence scored 12 points and had six rebounds while playing 30 minutes against Georgia in the Bulldogs’ 76-64 win at Vanderbilt last season. He averaged 9.5 points in four games versus UGA the last three seasons.

Lawrence was a 3-star prospect coming out of Morgan County High, where he was named the Class 3A player of the year in the state. He did not have an offer from the Bulldogs.

Lawrence is the seventh addition to the 2024-25 roster. He joins two freshman signees in 5-star forward Asa Newell and 4-star center Somto Cyril. The other four players are coming in from other colleges via the transfer portal.

NCAA rules cap Division I rosters at 13 players. So, the Bulldogs have room to make three more additions. Players are expected to report to campus in June.

Georgia is entering its third season under White. It was 20-17 last season and advanced to the NIT Final Four after finishing 11th in the SEC (6-12).

Following is a snapshot of the Bulldogs’ offseason roster activity:

RETURNING STARTERS (3)

Pos., player, ht., wt., cl., hometown (last year’s averages)

G Blue Cain, 6-5, 194, So., Knoxville, Tenn. (7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg)

G Silas Demary, 6-5, 190, So., Raleigh, N.C. (9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.5 apg)

F Dylan James, 6-9, 207, So., Winter Haven, Fla. (4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)

NEWCOMERS (7)

Pos., player, ht., wt., cl., last school (hometown)

C Somto Cyril, 6-10, 250, Fr., Overtime Elite (Atlanta)

F Asa Newell, 6-10, 215, Fr., Monteverde Academy (Destin, Fla.)

F Justin Abson, 6-9, 235, Jr., Appalachian State Univeristy (Pompano Beach, Fla.)

F R.J. Godfrey, 6-8, 228, Jr., Clemson University (Suwanee)

G Dakota Laffew, 6-5, 185, Gr., Mount St. Mary’s University (Hampton)

G Tyrin Lawrence, 6-4, 190, Gr., Vanderbilt University (Madison)

G De’Shayne Montgomery, 6-4, 190, So., Mount St. Mary’s (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)

STARTERS LOST (2)

Pos., player, ht., wt., cl., (LY averages)

G Noah Thomasson, 6-4, 210, Gr. (13.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg)

C Russel Tchewa, 7-0, 275, Gr. (7.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg)

DEPARTURES (7)

Pos., player, ht., wt., cl., (LY averages) – New school

G/F Jabri Abdur-Rahim, 6-8, 215, Sr. (12.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg) – transfer to Providence

F RJ Melendez, 6-7, 210, Jr. (9.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg) – transfer to Mississippi State

G Justin Hill, 6-0, 185, Sr. (9.5 ppg, 3.2 apg) – transfer to Wichita State

F Jalen DeLoach, 6-9, 220, Jr. (3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) – transfer Loyola-Chicago

C Frank Anselem-Ibe, 6-10, 215, Sr. (2.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg) – transfer portal TBD

F Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, 6-8, 217, Sr. (1.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg) – transfer Seattle

F RJ Sunahara, 6-6, 205, Gr. (2.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg) – eligibility expired

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