georgia basketball kario oquendo tom crean

ATHENS — Hot-shooting junior college transfer guard Kario Oquendo has chosen Georgia over Oregon and Marquette and will play for coach Tom Crean and the Bulldogs next season.

Oquendo, a 6-foot-4, 194-pounder originally from Titusville, Fla., scored 13.5 points per game and averaged 3.8 rebounds for Florida Southwestern State College last season, shooting 55.4 percent from the floor and 40.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Oquendo, one of only three freshmen to earn first-team all-conference honors, hits 51.3 percent from 3-point range in league play last season.

Georgia, like every other program in the SEC, has had to rebuild its roster amid attrition with the NCAA”s new one-time transfer rule playing a role.

Only Kentucky, with five players in the portal or headed to the professional ranks, has had less attrition than Georgia (six) at this point of the offseason.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have added an impressive collection of longer, taller players who have significantly better shooting percentages than what UGA teams have produced of late.

Oquendo is UGA’s sixth incoming transfer:

• Jabri Abdur-Harim (Virginia) 6-7, 215

• Noah Baumann (Southern Cal) 6-6, 215

• Braelen Bridges (Illinois-Chicago), 6-10, 235

• Jailyn Ingram (Florida Atlantic), 6-7, 215

• Dalen Ridgnal (Cowley College), 6-6, 200

The Bulldogs’ incoming freshmen are:

• Tyrone Baker (Missouri City, Texas). 6-9, 200

• Camron McDowell (McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga.) 6-5, 180

• Christian Wright (Alpharetta), 6-3, 180