Georgia Basketball: New targets appear in the transfer portal for the Bulldogs
Since the season came to an end, almost every program has dipped its toe into the transfer portal. With close to 500 players in the portal, the possibilities are endless, which is why programs are reaching out to dozens of players.
In this week alone, Georgia missed out on two big-time transfers in Dimencio Vaughn, who chose Ole Miss and Tyrese Martin, who chose UConn. But because of the large number of transfers available, there's no reason to panic for Georgia. Tom Crean and Co. are already one step ahead, reaching out to the second wave of players that have recently put their name into the transfer portal.
Jeriah Horne: Forward
- Graduate Senior (for the 2020-2021 season)
- 6'7 222 lbs.
Jeriah Horne will now be transferring for the second time in his career. The one-time Nebraska Cornhusker played 29 games his freshman year before transferring to Tulsa for his RS Sophomore and RS Junior seasons.
Horne's playing style resembles former Georgia Bulldog, Yante Maten's, who won the Co-SEC Player of the Year award for the 17'-18' season. While he doesn't have the same size Maten did, Horne has the ability to get points in the paint with his post moves, often spinning off defenders when backing them down. That part of the game mirrors Yante Maten directly.
In addition, Horne has a decent three-point shot around the top of the key. He's coming off of a 33.9% year from deep but shot 37.4% the season before. Horne also has a solid mid-range shot whether it be from the elbow or fading away along the baseline. The willingness to shoot from inside the three-point line is not something every player has, but Maten also did that efficiently and had a lot of success at Georgia doing so.
Horne also brings some defense to the table posting 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks per outing last season. And if Horne can improve on his 11.1 PPG and 5.4 RPG on 41.3% shooting, he'd be worth a scholarship spot in Athens.
Luther Muhammad: Guard
-Junior (for the 2020-2021 season)
-6'4 185 lbs.
Since Luther Muhammad entered the transfer portal just over 48 hours ago, around 20 programs reached out. The former 247sports' composite Top-100 recruit is focusing on just 8 teams: Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Seton Hall, Arizona State, UCLA, West Virginia, and New Mexico.
Muhammad checks off the box in what Georgia needs most- shooting. This past season, Muhammad shot 34.7% from deep and does very well in catch-and-shoot situations.
Along with his shooting, he could add size to Georgia's backcourt. At 6'4, Muhammad is very good at finishing in contact when attacking the basket. But Muhammad's distributing skills are also very sharp. Muhammad does a great job of setting up post players in a position to score, and can also find the open shooter on a drive-and-kick. On the defensive, side Muhammad also averaged a steal per game.
While Muhammad may have only averaged 7 PPG, he did also play alongside a lot of other talented players at Ohio State. It's likely he'll have to sit out this coming up season, but with his skills and quality experience in the Big 10, he'll be capable of stepping up into a bigger role at his next school.
Both Horne and Muhammad will likely make their decisions within the coming weeks.