How Dakota Leffew’s quiet confidence helped Georgia basketball finish its NCAA chase

The shots on that December day didn’t hold near as much weight as some of his scores on Saturday, though. Leffew arguably made Georgia’s two biggest shots in a win that all but guaranteed the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid in a decade.

Leffew’s first clutch shot came with 8:51 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs had not scored in over four minutes while Vanderbilt was riding an 8-0 run.

The Commodores cut Georgia’s lead to a 58-56 when Leffew delivered a signature spark plug shot. He nailed a contested step back 3-pointer as Stegeman Coliseum erupted and UGA took a five-point lead.

The Bulldog offense rallied, too, scoring the next 12 points unanswered. That included a dagger from Leffew, who picked a steal from Vanderbilt star Jason Edwards and cashed a fastbreak layup for a 70-56 lead with 4:25 left.

“He just stepped up, he’s one of those guys that every time he shoots it, whether you’re up 10, down 10, early game, late game, he looks the same,” Georgia coach Mike White said. “His body language looks the same, he’s just very consistent.”

That quiet confidence has been key from a veteran transfer like Leffew, considering how relatively young UGA’s roster is.

Just about every Bulldog has looked confident shooting the ball during the current four-game winning streak, but Leffew provided confident shooting while Georgia struggled in the meat of its SEC schedule.

Freshman superstar Asa Newell recognized it after Saturday’s win. Newell has been an incredible force for the Bulldogs in the paint, but the future NBA first-rounder acknowledged the significance of having a clutch 3-point shooter like Leffew.

“Just having an amazing teammate like Dakota to hit big time plays and big-time shots is something that we need,” Newell said. “He’s a huge spark for us.”

Leffew will try to add a few more memorable moments to his time in Athens, but the graduate transfer had already left a lasting impact on Georgia’s basketball program.

White knows it, and on a victorious night where he spoke in more “big picture” terms than normal, he was quick to talk about his team’s culture and Leffew’s impact on it.

That same quiet guard with unwavering confidence from 2023 showed up in Athens to help White’s Bulldogs make history.

“Most of these guys in the portal, or even high school guys, they’re not making decisions until they’ve been on your campus, spent time with your guys, so our guys attracted other good character people that wanted to be about something bigger than themselves,” White said. “We’ve got a really good culture here in Georgia, and we’re going to continue to protect it every day.”