Georgia basketball starting center Somto Cyril to enter transfer portal
A third Georgia basketball player has announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, as center Somto Cyril will look to finish his career elsewhere.
Cyril shared the news on Instagram. The sophomore led the SEC in blocks last season with 2.34 per game. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds.
Cyril, who started 32 of the Bulldogs’ 33 games, did not have a strong finish to the season. In just 12 minutes against Saint Louis, Cyril had zero points and one rebound in a 102-77 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Georgia was outscored by 32 points while Cyril was on the floor.
The Bulldogs are losing fellow center Justin Abson this offseason, as he exhausted his collegiate eligibility. Leading scorer Jeremiah Wilkinson and forward Dylan James have also announced their plans to transfer.
The Bulldogs went 22-11, making the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive time under coach Mike White. Georgia used the portal to flip the team’s roster last offseason, after it saw Asa Newell declare for the NBA draft and lead guard Silas Demary Jr. leave for UConn.
Replacing Cyril won’t be easy, particularly since the Bulldogs have not signed any high school prospects. Georgia does bring back Jackson McVey at center, but he did not appear in any games last season.
Any additions to the frontcourt will have to come via the portal, which will be open April 7-21.
“So many of these student-athletes playing in this tournament mentally might have a couple toes in the portal,” White said after his team’s loss to Saint Louis. “They might have a foot in the portal. They might have a foot-and-a-half in the portal. They’ve got communication with relatives, with former coaches and now with agents, right? So, first and foremost, where are we at with our roster? Let’s try to figure that out as soon as possible.”
But first, he said, “we’ve got to wait for the portal to open, and then we’ve got to go through that process.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
