Arizona lands commitment from Georgia transfer guard Justin Kier

Arizona has continued to rebuild its roster this offseason under new head coach Tommy Lloyd, and Wednesday the newest piece came into place as Georgia transfer guard Justin Kier announced his decision to finish his college career with the Wildcats.

The former George Mason standout transferred to Georgia last season after graduating from his first school, and he ultimately ended his lone season in Athens averaging 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals over 25 starts.

A 6-foot-4 native of Virginia, Kier was a three-year starter at George Mason where he averaged over 10 points and five rebounds. A foot injury impacted his final season at the school, but he was able to bounce back at Georgia where he had 10 double-digit scoring performances.

He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal three weeks ago with one season of eligibility left with support from head coach Tom Crean and the staff at UGA.

We loved coaching (Kier)," Crean wrote in a tweet shortly after Kier announced his original decision to leave Georgia. "Absolutely loved it. We never anticipated him coming back but the door was always open. We hoped he would reach his professional dreams but they are still a year away. Playing his last year near his family is his goal and we totally support him."

Rather than return home to Virginia, however, Arizona's coaches convinced Kier to make the move across the country to play in Tucson to finish out his career. He picked the Wildcats over offers from Utah, Oklahoma, Penn State, Marquette and Oklahoma.

Kier will join a growing group of perimeter players at UA that is in need of a veteran member. The sixth-year guard has played in over 130 games in his career and has made 120 starts.

He is the latest transfer to join the program this offseason, but he is the first one who is American born. Gonzaga big man Oumar Ballo and versatile Utah guard Pelle Larsson are the other two transfers the Wildcats have added this spring.

Incoming freshmen Adama Bal and Shane Nowell plus returning players Kerr Kriisa, Dalen Terry and Bennedict Mathurin are all capable of playing along the perimeter in addition to Larsson and Kier.

Kier's addition gives Lloyd and his staff 11 scholarship players for the upcoming season meaning there are two spots that could be filled by the time the fall rolls around.

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