Georgia basketball star Kario Oquendo, the team’s leading scorer in 2021-2022 (15.2 ppg), has withdrawn his name from the transfer portal. Oquendo’s pending return is huge for first-year head coach Mike White, who is trying to fill out the Bulldogs’ roster.
The sophomore guard transferred to Georgia from Florida SouthWestern where he was named first-team All-Southern Conference in 2020. Oquendo shot 40.3% on three pointers during the 2020-2021 season with Florida SouthWestern, so he could outperform his 27.2% three-point shooting in 2021-2022.
Oquendo played well under Tom Crean, but that didn’t translate into wins as Georgia finished last in the SEC and the Bulldogs finished 6-26. His return gives the Dawgs something to build with. Oquendo started 31 games for Georgia last year.
Georgia’s roster will look very different in 2022-2023, but a few pieces appear to be in place. Jailyn Ingram is looking to have an extra season of eligibility from the NCAA after suffering a season-ending injury early last season. Forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim, who averaged 18.9 minutes per game, and forward Braelin Bridges, who started all 32 games last season, are both returning.
Mike White has already added Longwood transfer Justin Hill and is looking to add more talent.
Numerous Georgia Bulldogs remain in the transfer portal: Josh Taylor, Tyrone Baker, Jaxon Etter, Jonathan Ned, Tyron McMillan, Christian Wright, Cam McDowell, Noah Baumann and Dalen Ridgnal.
