Skyhawk Men’s Hoops Welcomes Giorgi Sulaberidze To Fold For 2026-27 Season
4/17/2026 10:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MARTIN, Tenn. – Head coach Jeremy Shulman has announced his fifth signing for the 2026-27 University of Tennessee at Martin men's basketball season as junior forward Giorgi Sulaberidze pledged his commitment to the Skyhawks today.
Checking in at 6-8 and 250 pounds, Sulaberidze hails from Kutaisi, Georgia and currently plays for the Kutaisi 2010 organization in the Georgian Superleague, where he won Most Valuable Player honors in 2025 after winning the league title in 2024. He is currently averaging 13.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 53 percent shooting (83-for-158) over the coure of 17 games. He had a season-high 28 points against Rashi on Nov. 15 and has notched five double-doubles, including a near triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) against Telavi on Dec. 21.
"Giorgi is another player I've recruited for three years and I'm just ecstatic to have the opportunity to coach him," Shulman said. "He is a big, physical, versatile player who can really shoot, pass and rebound. He's now our second player from the Republic of Georgia, following 2024-25 standout Vladimer Salaridze."
Sulaberidze owns an extensive amount of international experience, playing in 30 FIBA games from 2019-24 to go along with 12 more contests in club competition from 2024-26. He was voted the Best Forward of the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket Division B tournament held in Pitesti, Romania, going off for averages of 19.6 points (best in the tournament), 10.9 rebounds (second in the event) and 1.6 assists over seven games. He scored at least 20 points on four separate occasions and tallied four consecutive double-doubles. He registered 26 points against Hungary on July 21 and also had a dominant 22-point, 20-rebound effort against Bulgaria on July 14.
At the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B event held in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sulaberidze averaged 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists over the course of seven games. He was responsible for three straight double-doubles, including 19 points and 12 rebounds against Sweden on July 11. He also averaged 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest in eight appearances at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B tournament held in Bucov, Romania as his best scoring game was a 21-point, nine-rebound effort where he shot 6-of-9 from three-point land against Kosovo on July 29. He also had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against the Netherlands on Aug. 3 and produced a 17-rebound performance against Bulgaria on Aug. 7.
Sulaberidze took part in all eight games of the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B event hosted by Podgorica, Montenegro. His best outing (10 points, nine rebounds) occurred against Cyprus on Aug. 10. Additionally, he has played in the 2026 and 2025 FIBA Europe Cup plus the 2025 and 2024 Basketball Champions League. He graduated from the Kutaisi №3 Public School.
Sulaberidze will suit up in 2026-27 alongside fellow UT Martin newcomers Reid Conley (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Armandas Bancevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania), Gabrielius Bubnys (Marijampolė, Lithuania) and Nikola Janicic (Skopje, North Macedonia). Those five join a Skyhawk program that blossomed in Year Two of the Shulman Era, equaling the school record with 22 victories while playing in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship semifinals for the third time in four seasons.
Checking in at 6-8 and 250 pounds, Sulaberidze hails from Kutaisi, Georgia and currently plays for the Kutaisi 2010 organization in the Georgian Superleague, where he won Most Valuable Player honors in 2025 after winning the league title in 2024. He is currently averaging 13.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 53 percent shooting (83-for-158) over the coure of 17 games. He had a season-high 28 points against Rashi on Nov. 15 and has notched five double-doubles, including a near triple-double (15 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) against Telavi on Dec. 21.
"Giorgi is another player I've recruited for three years and I'm just ecstatic to have the opportunity to coach him," Shulman said. "He is a big, physical, versatile player who can really shoot, pass and rebound. He's now our second player from the Republic of Georgia, following 2024-25 standout Vladimer Salaridze."
Sulaberidze owns an extensive amount of international experience, playing in 30 FIBA games from 2019-24 to go along with 12 more contests in club competition from 2024-26. He was voted the Best Forward of the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket Division B tournament held in Pitesti, Romania, going off for averages of 19.6 points (best in the tournament), 10.9 rebounds (second in the event) and 1.6 assists over seven games. He scored at least 20 points on four separate occasions and tallied four consecutive double-doubles. He registered 26 points against Hungary on July 21 and also had a dominant 22-point, 20-rebound effort against Bulgaria on July 14.
At the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B event held in Skopje, North Macedonia, Sulaberidze averaged 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists over the course of seven games. He was responsible for three straight double-doubles, including 19 points and 12 rebounds against Sweden on July 11. He also averaged 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest in eight appearances at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B tournament held in Bucov, Romania as his best scoring game was a 21-point, nine-rebound effort where he shot 6-of-9 from three-point land against Kosovo on July 29. He also had a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) against the Netherlands on Aug. 3 and produced a 17-rebound performance against Bulgaria on Aug. 7.
Sulaberidze took part in all eight games of the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B event hosted by Podgorica, Montenegro. His best outing (10 points, nine rebounds) occurred against Cyprus on Aug. 10. Additionally, he has played in the 2026 and 2025 FIBA Europe Cup plus the 2025 and 2024 Basketball Champions League. He graduated from the Kutaisi №3 Public School.
Sulaberidze will suit up in 2026-27 alongside fellow UT Martin newcomers Reid Conley (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Armandas Bancevicius (Kaunas, Lithuania), Gabrielius Bubnys (Marijampolė, Lithuania) and Nikola Janicic (Skopje, North Macedonia). Those five join a Skyhawk program that blossomed in Year Two of the Shulman Era, equaling the school record with 22 victories while playing in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship semifinals for the third time in four seasons.
Players Mentioned
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