Arizona in mix for Georgia transfer Justin Kier, while Gonzaga transfer Aaron Cook picks UGA

Arizona’s journey into the NCAA transfer portal appears to be taking a detour through Athens, Georgia.

Former Georgia guard Justin Kier is close to deciding where he’ll play next season and the UA is among the teams he’s still considering, according to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com. Meanwhile, a transfer with ties to Tommy Lloyd, ex-Gonzaga guard Aaron Cook, committed to Georgia on Monday.

The 6-foot-4 Kier, according to Weingarten, is set to announce his school on Thursday, with Arizona in the mix along with Marquette, Oklahoma, Penn State and Utah. He would have one year of eligibility left after spending the 2020-21 season with Georgia, where he averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 39.4 percent shooting after playing for George Mason from 2016-20.

Kier’s career averages are 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from 3. His best season came in 2018-19 when he led George Mason in scoring (14.5) and was the Patriots’ second-leading rebounder (6.5) while posting seven double-doubles.

The 6-1 Cook, who averaged 4.2 points in 13.4 minutes per game in one season at Gonzaga after playing for Southern Illinois from 2016-20, was considered a solid option for the UA this season due to his connection with Lloyd.

Another transfer Arizona could be back in contention for is AJ Bramah, a 6-7 forward who played the last two seasons at Robert Morris. Bramah decommitted from ASU on Monday, and before he picked that school up north the Wildcats were showing interest in him after seeing him average 21 points and 10.3 rebounds in 11 games for the Colonials in 2020-21.