Kier gets a confidence boost

Georgia basketball player Justin Kier (5) during a game against Missouri at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo by Tony Walsh)

During the post-game interview after Georgia’s upset win over No. 19 Missouri, graduate transfer Justin Kier finally breathed a sigh of relief.  

The former George Mason standout went through a little bit of a dry spell last week, although he led the Bulldogs in points against Missouri with 16 and grabbed five rebounds. Kier shot 100 percent from the 3-point and free throw lines. He also added one assist in 35 minutes of play against the Tigers.

Georgia shot 47.6 percent from beyond the arc on Wednesday night, which is impressive because against Alabama the team had a season-low 10.5 percent. 

Kier’s two 3-pointers came in clutch situations. His first triple came with 9:44 left to pull Georgia to within two points, while the other shot came a few minutes later to put his team back up five with 7:24 remaining. His final three-pointer came off a pass in transition from point guard Sahvir Wheeler, and right after Kier let go of the ball, he turned to his teammates on the sideline to celebrate. 

“I knew it was good,” Kier told reporters after the game. “Sahvir, he found me in transition. He draws so much when he attacks the paint. That felt really, really good, and I knew that was going in. I wanted to get us energized and have the people in (Stegeman Coliseum) get energized. Once that happened, we went on a run. I just tried to do what I do and knock down the shots I can knockdown, and help this team every single day.”

The start of the game was a track meet as both teams burst out of the gate. Georgia led 23-17 with 10:54 left in the first period but went cold for nearly six minutes. Kier was a big part of the Bulldogs’ offensive explosion in the first half because he scored 10 of his 16 points in the first 11 minutes. Midway through the half is when the Tigers started to play better on defense and contained the Bulldogs’ attack.

Georgia basketball player Justin Kier (5) during a game against Missouri at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. (Photo by Tony Walsh)

Georgia trailed 37-33 at the half and the start of the second period didn’t bode well.

Missouri came out and scored the first nine points to extend their lead to 13. That’s when Georgia started to fight and claw their way back in the contest. Sophomore walk-on Jaxon Etter scored seven of his nine points to help his team back to within a one-score game. He nailed a three-pointer to put Georgia within two, but Missouri’s Mark Smith answered with a triple of his own. That next possession is when Kier hit his aforementioned first 3-pointer to keep the Bulldogs alive. 

According to Kier, that’s when Georgia started to take a more serious approach to their defense. 

“..We just miscommunicated on some crucial possessions at the beginning of the second half, so that kind of dug us deep,” Kier said. “We knew we could fix those mistakes. We knew we were going to have great defensive stops if we could fix those mistakes. And that’s what we really locked in on. We tried to not settle offensively and get them to move and foul. So, we just made a few critical mistakes in the first few mins of the second half, but we locked in on that and saw the outcome of the game change.” 

Kier said the outcome of the game was who really wanted it more, and it appeared to be the Bulldogs in the end. Knowing he was in a slump, Kier mentioned that he wasn’t really concerned about his points total, but rather how he could contribute in other ways to help solidify a victory for the program. 

On Monday, head coach Tom Crean said he still had confidence in Kier, regardless of his recent shooting performances. 

Kier said he felt the love in his post-game presser.

“It’s the best feeling in the world when a coach believes in you and has all-time high confidence in you as well,” Kier said. “I think it’s more mental than anything. That’s how tough this league is. It was a slump I tried not to get myself down on and worry much. I tried to do the same routine and not try to change anything. I try to stay consistent and know that things are going to work out.”

Kier added that when he plays bad, other guys step up. 

“I try to not play bad every single game, but you know, defensively stay into no matter how my offense is going,” he said. “But we came out today and really attacked. I’m very proud of this team for sure.” 

The Bulldogs improve to 13-8 overall and 6-8 in conference play. Georgia will face another tough opponent this weekend as they travel to Gainesville to play Florida. It will be another tough SEC battle, but Kier said the team is confident, especially after the win against Missouri. 

“It builds our confidence; we know we can’t settle now," Kier said. "When we get to games like this against a ranked team, great SEC team, and great coach, too. You can celebrate this win, but you have to stay locked in. We have a couple of more games to end the season, we can’t slip up, we have to build off of this win. We are happy about this win, but not satisfied.”

Here is the video from Toumani Camara and Justin Kier’s post-game interview: