Transfer Aaron Cook solidifies Georgia Basketball backcourt for 2021-22 season

In the new era of transfers, we’re seeing teams lose multiple players to the portal in the offseason. For some, that number rises to around four or five. And then there’s Georgia Basketball, who is effectively starting all over with a brand new roster.

The Bulldogs have lost 10 players to the portal, effectively everyone of importance from this past season. That includes lead ball-handlers Sahvir Wheeler and freshman KD Johnson, who averaged 13.5 ppg in 16 games. With senior Justin Kier also gone, that left Georgia scrambling to find some capable ball-handlers for the 2021-22 campaign.

To their credit, the team has landed nine players so far this offseason. On the perimeter, the Bulldogs brought in former top-50 shooting guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim from Virginia, 6’6 sharpshooting guard Noah Baumann from USC, JUCO transfer Kario Oquendo and incoming freshman guards, Christian Wright and Camron McDowell.

Only Wright is a true ball-handler in that group and the three-star recruit likely isn’t ready for a ton of minutes. So Georgia was looking for someone that not only can lead an offense but also has both experience and a winning history.

Considering where the portal stands in late May, this is a good pickup for the program. Aaron Cook most recently played in the national title game for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, playing in the rotation for a team that lost just one game all season. The 6’1 guard averaged 13 mpg and 4.1 ppg off the bench was he played a pivotal role in several games this past season, including scoring and defending at a great pace when the team was going through a first-half lull.

Cook was supposed to have a bigger role for Gonzaga when he signed with them as a grad transfer from Southern Illinois but fellow transfer Andrew Nembhard getting a waiver to play this past season put the mid-major import as the 4th guard, seeing his potential minutes cut in a major way.

Cook did produce when he was with the Salukis. In the two years when he was a full-time starter, Cook averaged around 10.0 ppg and 3.5 apg. But he was on pace to have a major breakout campaign as a senior, scoring 15.0 ppg and stealing three balls a game. Even if the scoring doesn’t translate at a high level in the SEC, Cook is one of the better individual ball-handlers in college basketball. And going into his 6th season, he can come in and be a leader for this fairly young Georgia squad.

This is a win-win pickup this late in the game. Georgia gets an experienced can capable ball-handler, while Cook gets one more chance to showcase his skills at a high level and with plenty of minutes available. He played his role admiradly at Gonzaga and now hopes their winning culture with transfer with him down south to the Bulldogs in Athens,