RJ Melendez entering transfer portal after single season at Georgia
Georgia forward RJ Melendez is headed to the transfer portal again after spending one season with the Bulldogs in Athens. Previously playing two years at Illinois, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound Puerto Rican product of Central Pointe Christian Academy (Fla.) will be looking for a third college to call home. DawgsHQ has confirmed the news first reported by Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.
Melendez played in 36 of 37 games for the Bulldogs this past season, averaging 20.6 minutes per game. It was a slight downtick in playing time from what he got at Illinois in 2022-23 (21.5), but his numbers went up across the board. Shooting 45.1% from the field and 30.4% from 3-point range, Melendez averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Against Florida in late January, Melendez lit the Gators up for 35 points, making 13 of 19 attempts in total including six of 10 from 3-point range. That earned him a spot in the starting lineup in each of the next two outings after previously manning a spot there to start the season. In total, Melendez reached double-figures 18 times including a double-double with 11 rebounds in a come from behind road victory over Florida State.
“Really had his motor going, had a pretty good balance offensively of attacking the rim and making jump shots. When he’s making jump shots, which he does consistently in practice, it will come for him in games,” Georgia head coach Mike White said of Melenez following the Florida game. “It makes him that much more of an effective driver putting pressure on the rim.”
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Melendez was originally a fringe top-100 player coming of high school, ranked No. 101 overall according to the On3 Industry Ranking. ESPN had him as high as 56th in the country. He will have one year of eligibility remaining at his school of choice.
Melendez is the sixth Georgia player to enter the transfer portal since the end of the season. The Bulldogs lost Jalen DeLoach, Justin Hill, M.A. Moncrieffe, Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Mari Jordan previously before picking up Mount St. Mary’s transfer De’Shayne Montgomery. With Melendez’s departure, Georgia has seven scholarship spots remaining.
Georgia Basketball Roster Tracker
Returnees (4): Frank Anselem-Ibe, Blue Cain, Silas Demary, Dylan James
Additions (2): De’Shayne Montgomery (Mount St. Mary’s), Asa Newell (Class of 2024)
Departures via Portal (6): Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence), Jalen DeLoach (Loyola Chicago), Justin Hill, Mari Jordan, RJ Melendez, M.A. Moncrieffe
Out of Eligibility (3): RJ Sunahara, Russel Tchewa, Noah Thomasson
