Georgia announces signing of transfer forward R.J. Melendez
Georgia basketball got a commitment from Illinois small forward R.J. Melendez less than a week ago and the former four-star prospect is now officially part of the program. The Bulldogs announced that Melendez has signed with the program, locking in his spot for the 2023-2024 season.
“Coach White and Pastrana, they were my first two offers coming out of high school,” Melendez told Jeff Goodman recently on The Field of 68 Podcast. “Coach White was at Florida and Pastrana from Oklahoma State, so you know, still having that connection and them reaching out right after I got in the portal and staying consistent with me,” Melendez told Goodman. “It was a big deal for me to see that they still have that trust in me and still see that player from high school. It didn’t matter what happened the past couple of years, so seeing them having that trust in me was great.”
“I’m really excited to be at Georgia. I’m ready to get to Athens already to start work. I’m ready to make a run at Georgia, get to the Tournament, just excited,” Melendez continued. “Coach White wants me to come in, make an impact, be a high level usage guy and help the team. Coach White has done a great job taking the team over from the past coach going 16-16. He’s doing an amazing job right now recruiting, and the goal is to have a better record, make the Tournament and make a run.”
Arkansas Virginia, Kansas State, Creighton, Iowa State, Florida, Ole Miss, Georgetown, Florida State, South Carolina, and Mississippi State all showed interested in Melendez. He played in all 32 games for the NCAA Tournament bound Fighting Illini this past season, averaging 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He started 18 of those contests and played an average of 21.5 minutes per game.
Standing at 6-foot-7 and tipping the scales at around 200 pounds, Melendez was the nation’s No. 101 overall prospect and No. 21 small forward per the On3 Industry-Ranking. He was also the No. 18 prospect in Florida.
Georgia also signed a pair of players in the Class of 2023 with Mari Jordan and Dylan James getting set to join the Bulldogs in Athens before too long. Jordan is ranked No. 146 overall and No. 31 among small forwards as the No. 10 player in the Peach State according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He committed to Georgia under the previous coaching regime and stayed on board. James on the other hand chose White and the Bulldogs. He comes in as a top-100 overall player according to the On3 Industry Ranking at No. 96, No. 18 among power forwards and No. 9 in the state of Florida.
