The Class of 2023 features several standout basketball stars from Georgia. Wheeler’s Isaiah Collier is considered the best prospect nationwide, while Robert Dillingham (Overtime Elite), Stephon Castle (Newton), and Kanaan Carlyle (Overtime Elite) all rank within the top 35. But what did the basketball recruiting landscape look like five years ago? Who were the best prospects then? And where are they now? Here’s a look back at the five leading Georgia high school basketball recruits of 2018.
5. Landers Nolley – Langston Hughes
As a 6-foot, 7-inch shooting guard in high school, Nolley was a mismatch on the court. During his senior season with the Panthers, he posted nearly 30 points per game and led the team in rebounds with 8 per game. His impact on the floor guided Langston Hughes to the state championship game, where they defeated Gainesville by seven points to win the title.
Nolley, a consensus four-star recruit, committed to Virginia Tech. However, his time with the Hokies was short-lived. After a productive 2019-2020 season during which he averaged 15.5 points per game, Nolley transferred to Memphis, where he saw his playing time and statistical totals fall. Still, he used his two years at Memphis to improve his 3-point shooting, and the repetition has paid off, as he’s now shooting 45% from long range with the Cincinnati Bearcats as a senior.
4. Khavon Moore – Westside-Macon
Moore, a four-star prospect, could do it all from the small forward position. As a junior, he led the Seminoles in points, rebounds, and assists en route to a 25-4 campaign and a quarterfinals appearance. While he couldn’t improve his team’s performance as a senior, his on-court performance was among the most impressive of 2018 Georgia high school basketball recruits. Moore posted 22.5 points per game and led the team with over 4.5 assists per contest, eventually leading to his commitment to Texas Tech.
Unfortunately, Moore received only two minutes of total playing time as a freshman, leading to his transfer to Clemson. However, that decision did not pay off either, as he couldn’t score more than 2 points per game. Moore had a second transfer approved to USC-Upstate, but he couldn’t make an impact with the Spartans either.
3. Reggie Perry – Thomasville
Perry towered as a 6-foot, 10-inch power forward from Thomasville. He was nearly unstoppable on the court, reflected by his team’s dominance during his senior year. Perry and the Bulldogs blew through their 2A opponents, ending the season with 28 wins, 3 losses, and a 35-point state title win over Vidalia.
The seventh-ranked power forward nationwide chose to play at Mississippi State. Perry played meaningful minutes as a freshman, shooting over 50% from the floor. His sophomore season, though, proved to be his breakout, as he averaged a double-double and shot nearly 33% from three.
Perry didn’t have the opportunity to showcase his skills during March Madness, but NBA scouts appreciated his skills, earning him a second-round selection by the Clippers in the 2020 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he has seen barely any playing time on four different teams and he is now a free agent.
2. Ashton Hagans – Newton
Hagans was one of the most familiar names among Georgia high school basketball recruits of 2018. The five-star averaged over 20 points and 10 assists per game as a junior, leading an extremely talented Rams squad to the quarterfinals. A year later, Hagans was awarded Georgia’s Mr. Basketball and the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year award.
Hagans initially committed in-state to Georgia, but changed his choice to SEC rival Kentucky soon after. With the Wildcats, Hagans quickly became known as a defensive threat, enough to earn him recognition as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. After two seasons with Kentucky, Hagans declared for the NBA Draft, but went undrafted due to injury concerns as a senior. He signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but injuries and a violation of COVID protocols led to his demotion to the G-League, where he surprisingly posted a triple-double in his first game.
1. EJ Montgomery – Wheeler
The top prospect of 2018 Georgia high school basketball recruits – and the second-highest-ranked power forward in the nation – Montgomery played his junior and senior seasons at Wheeler, where he averaged nearly 26 points and 14 rebounds per game. Similarly to Hagans, Montgomery chose to commit to Kentucky after decommitting from another SEC school.
Unlike Hagans, though, Montgomery’s impact was less than expected with the Wildcats. He started only 35 games over two seasons and never became a true scoring or rebounding threat. Regardless, he chose to declare for the 2020 NBA Draft with Hagans, but went undrafted. In early 2021, Montgomery signed with BC Nevezis of the Lithuanian Basketball League, but flipped to Soproni KC of Hungary’s basketball league, where he remains today.
