Basketball: Sahvir Wheeler leaving UGA
Basketball: Sahvir Wheeler leaving UGA
Georgia basketball player Sahvir Wheeler (2) during a game against South Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Photo by Tony Walsh)
Athens — Georgia star point guard Sahvir Wheeler announced his plans Tuesday morning that he will be leaving the program, which is a catastrophic loss for fourth-year head coach Tom Crean.
Wheeler has decided to explore his options in the NCAA student transfer portal, while also electing to test the waters in this year’s upcoming NBA Draft. The Houston, Texas native will not hire an agent as he wants to keep his NCAA eligibility intact in case he isn’t drafted.
Wheeler announced his plans official via his personal Twitter.
Wheeler told ESPN NBA draft analyst Jonathan Givony the news.
“I am hoping to get in front of NBA personnel, so they can find out more about me and what I could bring to an NBA franchise,” Wheeler said. “I entered the transfer portal at the same time to evaluate all my options as I try to determine my path of realizing my dreams of winning at the highest level and playing in the NBA. For most people, there is a direct correlation between the two.”
Wheeler started all 26 games during the 2020-21 season as he averaged 13.9 points per game, 7.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds. This past season, he recorded the program’s first-ever triple-double in an upset win over No. 19 LSU. Wheeler earned Second-Team All-SEC honors for his efforts during his sophomore campaign while ranking No. 1 in the conference in assists and No. 5 nationally.
Wheeler becomes the third starter to leave the program since the start of the 2020-21 season. Georgia power forward Toumani Camara announced a few weeks ago that he was transferring. The pair was a part of Georgia’s 2019 recruiting class, which ranked No. 11 nationally, per 247Sports.
That group was highlighted by former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Anthony Edwards, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Besides Wheeler and Camara, Crean signed two other four-star prospects during the 2019 recruiting cycle, which included Jaykwon Walton and Christian Brown. Now, none of those top signees remain with the program. Crean has added four transfers as replacements in the offseason.