It’s bad, except for high school basketball, which is pretty good.
Georgia certainly boasts some of the finest high school football programs, players, and coaches in the country. That’s no secret. However, the state of Georgia also produces some really good boys high school basketball talent.
At the time of writing, Georgia has two programs in the MaxPreps national Top 25 basketball rankings, with Grayson and Wheeler ranked 10th and 11th, respectively. That’s the same number as historically basketball-rich North Carolina (two) and more than Indiana (one), a state more well known for high school basketball than high school football. Holy Innocents’ (No. 54), Woodward Academy (No. 74), and Pace Academy (No. 84) give Georgia a total of five teams in the Top 100.
Georgia also has nationally ranked individual talent. Holy Innocents’ power forward Caleb Wilson is currently ranked as the No. 5 player in the Class of 2025 by Rivals, while Grayson shooting guard Caleb Holt is rated third in the country by Rivals for the 2026 Class. Both are also ranked in the Top 10 in their respective classes by 247Sports.
Other highly ranked Georgia high school basketball recruits include Grayson small forward Jacob Wilkins, Wheeler power forward Tylis Jordan, Woodward Academy combo guard Zac Foster, and Cedar Grove small forward Manny Green.
Obviously, Georgia has no shortage of elite high school basketball talent, and the programs are well run by some of the best coaches in the country.
But that’s where things fall off.
Not Much March Madness for Georgia-Based College Basketball Fans
The state of Georgia’s collegiate basketball programs have not fared nearly as well when it comes to being known for their national prominence.
The state’s two most well known college programs, UGA and Georgia Tech, rarely qualify for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. UGA last made the tournament in 2015. Georgia Tech made the Big Dance in 2021 following an upset win over FSU in the ACC tournament championship game. It was the Yellow Jackets’ first trip to the tournament since 2010.
Kennesaw State has made the NCAA tournament just once in 20 years as a Division I program. The Owls made it in 2023, which was the most recent visit to the Big Dance for any other college basketball program in Georgia.
Georgia State may be considered the most successful college basketball program in the state, having made the NCAA tournament four times since the 2015 season, including the Panthers’ most recent appearance in 2022.
Grayson High School girls basketball head coach Tim Slater said a closer look at the Panthers’, and other teams’, success can be attributed to a roster full of in-state players.
“When we look at colleges in Georgia that had success, one common denominator sticks out,” Slater said. “Georgia State went on that March run, and it had a roster filled with Georgia kids.”
Slater, whose team finished as the runner-up in the Class 6A state championship this season, said that same approach has worked with Georgia Tech’s women’s program.
“(Head coach Nell Fortner) at Georgia Tech is killing it right now with Georgia players,” Slater said.
Regardless of who you root for, there’s not a lot of madness for college basketball fans in Georgia when March rolls around. Slater thinks the solution is straightforward.
“I think all too often there is a missed opportunity to recruit in the state,” Slater said. “This is partially because these colleges aren’t tapping into one of the biggest resources available for this, which is hiring local coaches, specifically high school coaches, who have all the connections with high schools, local AAU, and other high school coaches, which could help land the Georgia high school talent and keep in it in state.”
The NBA
The Atlanta Hawks, the state’s lone NBA franchise, has given professional basketball fans little to cheer about since arriving in Atlanta from St. Louis in 1968.
The Atlanta Hawks have never won an NBA title. The franchise has won one Pro Basketball Championship, which was in 1958 when they were the St. Louis Hawks.
Once the Hawks were in Atlanta, it took the team 48 years to advance past the second round of the NBA playoffs.
They broke that dreadful streak in 2015, marking the first time the Atlanta Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, which is one step away from advancing to the NBA Championship Series. They lost that game to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Hawks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals again in 2021, but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
So close, yet so far.
It’s tough being a fan of college and professional basketball in the state of Georgia. At least we have some really good high school basketball to watch.
By the way, when does high school football spring practice start?
