The Mike White era tipped off with a 66-52 win over NCAA Division ll Georgia College on Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
Kario Oquendo and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe led the Bulldogs with 15 points apiece, with Moncrieffe also pulling down a team-high 9 rebounds.
The 6-foot-8 Moncrieffe, a transfer from Oklahoma State, also had 2 blocked shots and 2 steals while hitting 4 of 7 shots from the floor and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line.
“It (shot) is going to go for him certain nights, and certain nights it’s not; he’s a developing offensive player,” said White, who is especially high on Moncrieffe’s effort plays.
“He pursues balls with two hands, he throws his body around -- offensively and defensively. He is ultra-competitive and just a hard-playing guy.”
Moncrieffe started in 21 of 58 games for the Big 12 Cowboys over the past two seasons, scoring in double figures 13 times before transferring to Georgia after last season.
“I thought it was alright, (but) I missed a lot of easy stuff at the rim that I usually make,” Moncrieffe said. “I need to get back in the lab.”
Justin Hill, a Georgia transfer from Big South Conference school Longwood, had a team-high 4 assists to go with his 8 points.
White provided some critical analysis of his Georgia team, which was out-rebounded 35-33 and shot just 27.3 percent (6-22) from beyond the 3-point arc.
“We have to defensive rebound it better,” said White, whose team was picked 13th in the 14-member SEC, just ahead of South Carolina.
“We have got to shoot it better, we have got to find ways to define roles at a higher level, as a staff and that starts with me.”
Oquendo, the team’s leading returning scorer, was just 2-of-8 shooting beyond the 3-point line and 5-of-13 from the floor.
“He’s a heck of a player, (and) he’s trying to expand his game,” White said. “He works every day and has a great attitude. I love coaching him. We can’t have him settle so much, but also, it’s on us … to put these guys in the right positions.”
Oquendo said it’s a matter of the reloaded team settling in.
“It’s always going to be hard when you go out there with 10 new guys,” Oquendo said. “We had trouble with that last year, trying to find the people early in the season, how the offense is going to work out, and defensively.
“So, I think when we get to that and we figure out whose role is what, we’ll be a lot better.”
The Bulldogs open their regular season at 8 p.m. next Monday against Western Carolina in Stegeman Coliseum before a trip to play Wake Forest on Nov. 11.
