The University of Georgia basketball team has intensified its commitment to its past to help shape its future. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs officially announced the return of former forward and ex–Georgia State head coach Jonas Hayes as a new assistant on Mike White’s staff, completing a rapid-fire reunion that brings both Hayes twins back to Athens within a week.
The hire comes less than two weeks after Georgia State parted ways with Hayes and just seven days after UGA welcomed his twin brother, Jarvis Hayes, into a hybrid assistant role. Together, the moves inject the program with deep alumni ties, Atlanta recruiting connections, and a blend of SEC and high-major coaching experience at a pivotal moment in White’s tenure.
Mike White makes a home run hire he desperately needed
Hayes’ return marks his second stint on the Bulldogs staff while adding another chapter to a career closely intertwined with the program. An Atlanta native who starred at Douglass High School, Hayes transferred to Georgia in 2000 and went on to play 88 games for the Bulldogs basketball program from 2001 to '04, averaging 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds. His senior season included 11.9 points per game and a career-high 25-point performance in a double-overtime win over No. 3 Georgia Tech.
After beginning his coaching career with stops at Morehouse, South Carolina State, and Belmont Abbey, Hayes returned to Georgia in 2012 as the operations coordinator before being elevated to assistant coach under Mark Fox. During that five-year stretch, Georgia recorded three consecutive 20-win seasons and reached the postseason four times, including the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs also posted a 42–30 SEC record from 2014–18, then the best four-year league mark in program history.
He later joined Xavier’s staff, eventually serving as associate head coach and leading the Musketeers to the 2022 NIT championship as interim head coach. He spent the past four seasons at Georgia State, compiling a 48–78 overall record before the program announced a leadership change on April 2.
Georgia looks to build off the back of a legendary Bulldog
Now he returns to a Bulldogs program that is both familiar and evolving under White, who has guided Georgia to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances since arriving in 2022 and earned a contract extension in September 2025.
In a statement released Wednesday by the program’s athletic department website, the Bulldogs’ head coach expressed optimism regarding the hire.
"I have respected Coach Hayes for a long time and am extremely excited to have him join our staff," White said via georgiadawgs.com. “We've never worked together, but he's someone who immediately makes you feel comfortable. It quickly becomes apparent what the University of Georgia means to him. His love for the state of Georgia, UGA, the Athens community and Georgia Basketball is palpable. I know how excited he is to be back at Stegeman, and I'm confident he will make an immediate and sustained impact as our program continues to grow."
The timing of Hayes’ return is significant. With the Transfer Portal window open through April 21, Georgia has already experienced roster movement, including the transfer of guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, who led the team in scoring, to Arkansas to play for John Calipari. Meanwhile, staff changes—most notably the departure of assistant Anthony Goins to join Justin Gainey’s staff at NC State—have created turnover that White is actively addressing. The addition of both Hayes brothers helps stabilize the staff while reinforcing a recruiting message rooted in development, familiarity, and program identity.
Few assistants bring a resume as layered as the 44-year-old alumnus. He has excelled as a player, contributed to sustained winning as an assistant, and led a Division I program to a postseason title as a head coach. That breadth of experience positions him to make an immediate impact, particularly in player development and frontcourt coaching—areas where he has consistently made his mark.
Beyond the X’s and O’s, the optics matter. For a program long seeking stronger ties between its past and present, the return of the Hayes twins signals a deliberate shift. Georgia is not just building a staff—it is reestablishing a foundation.
As the Bulldogs basketball program aims to rise from the middle tier of the SEC into a more consistent postseason presence—and try to win their first NCAA Tournament game since an 85–68 victory over Murray State in 2002—the message is clear: the path forward in Athens is being shaped, in part, by those who know it best.
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