ATHENS — Georgia basketball guard Mikal Starks has joined Christian Brown in the NCAA transfer portal, opening up a second scholarship slot in the Bulldogs’ next recruiting class.

Starks, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior college transfer from Eastern Florida State, played in 18 games and average just over 5 minutes per contest.

Brown, a 6-6, 215-pound Oak Hill (Va.) Academy product, was limited by injuries and played in just 16 games. Brown averaged more than 11 minutes per game but shot just 41.5 percent from the floor and 66.7-percent from the free-throw line with 2.7 rebounds per outing.

Coach Tom Crean said he’s still waiting to learn if or how many of the senior graduate transfers will take advantage of the Covid-related eligibility exemption and return for next season.

Virginia Tech transfer P.J. Horne led the team in 3-point makes and would be a bid addition to next season’s team. Andrew Garcia provided much-needed muscle in the paint and defense, while Justin Kier proved an explosive scorer at times.

The fact Georgia has two players in the NCAA transfer portal is right on par in today’s college basketball world. There were 348 programs that played this year, and the number of players in the transfer portal is approaching 700 — averaging nearly two per school.

One of the players in the portal is 2021 Georgia Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year Walker Kessler, who hails from Newnan.

Kessler is a 7-foot-1, 245-pound center who played at North Carolina last season. His father, Chad, played at Georgia as did his older brother, Houston.