Justin Hill, Georgia Basketball takes court for exhibition on Tuesday

On3 imageby:Palmer Thombs11/01/22

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ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Basketball hosts its first exhibition game of the 2022-23 season on Tuesday with NCAA Division II Georgia College coming to town. Tipoff from Stegeman Coliseum is set for 6:00 p.m. ET and the game can be streamed on SEC Network+. First year Georgia head coach Mike White has a couple of things he wants to see.

“Growth more than anything. Let’s just get better, let’s be connected,” White said on Monday in a pregame availability with media. “Culture is a word we all beat up as coaches. It’s an action, in terms of how we define it as a staff, and you want to see guys helping each other up off the floor, celebrating winning plays, being happy for one another, evaluating body language coming off the court. ‘Coach, why’d I come out?’ You came out because we subbed you out. We were trying to be the best team we can be. Whether the guy off the bench goes in is the sixth man, the 10th man, how does he handle that? How do we handle who gets what type of shot? Culture is really important.

“Playing for one another, the connection, of course, offensive and defensive execution is obviously really important, but we have to take it with a grain of salt, being in front of the fans for the first time,” he continued. “Hopefully, going back to that growth word, we do get a little bit better, both offensively and defensively tomorrow.”

Of course every season is different and the first outing is always important for a team getting used to playing together, but for many Georgia players, this will be their first time wearing the red and black. The Bulldogs are breaking in seven new scholarship players, plus two walk ons, to the program. Among those is Longwood transfer Justin Hill, one of the potential starting point guards on the roster.

Hill started 30 of 31 games for a Longwood team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, leading the Lancers in scoring (14.2 points per game) and assists (4.2 assists per game) while earning First-Team All-Big South and being a finalist for the Lou Henson Award which goes to the mid-major player of the year. After entering the transfer portal, Hill committed to Georgia before even visiting. He was sold already on what White had to offer and the direction the program seemed to be going.

“Really him (Mike White) and the coaching staff, I liked their style. I liked what I had seen, I’d watched a lot of film, and I really didn’t want to waste any time. I knew this is where I wanted to be,” Hill said. “It’s been great getting to know these guys. A lot of new personalities and emotions. They’re competitive. I’ve loved it so far.”

Hill described his playing style as one that tries to get downhill and get his teammates involved. He likes to take whatever the defense gives to him, whether that’s a drive to the rim or dishing it off to a teammate.

“He’s got a great attitude and brings it every day,” White said about Hill. “He’s got a great motor for a point guard. He just goes, goes, goes, offensively and defensively. He’s a detail guy, little things are important to him. If you ask him to do something that other guys might think could be a little bit trivial, it might be minor, but it’s big to him. He’s got high basketball character and we expect big things from him.”

“His toughness. I knew some guys in that league, one being Darris Nichols, who is like a brother to me, we worked together for a long time, who’s a head coach in that league. The imprint he would make on the game intangibly,” White continued, asked about what intrigued him about Hill when he entered the portal. “He’s a winning player, a basketball character. He plays with toughness, plays with tenacity, plays with, of course, speed at his position, he pesters the basketball defensively. He was a guy that we prioritized, and he quickly decided to become a Bulldog, even before his visit. He actually surprised us a little bit. He wanted an opportunity to put a stamp on a rebuild and be a big part of something.”

Overall, Hill is just excited to see how his style can come together with his teammates in live action.

“Very excited. We’ve been working at it since the summer. I’m ready to see all the hard work pay off,” Hill said. “I’m looking for how we can play when adversity hits and how everybody molds together … We play against each other every day, we know a lot of our strengths and weaknesses, but opponents can surprise you. So it’ll be a good contest.”

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