ITG Next’s January 2026 Georgia Male Athlete of the Month is Tift County High School basketball player Kaden Lawson.
Lawson, a senior, is a power forward for the Blue Devils. He has played for the Tift County boys basketball team over his entire four-year career, becoming a starter in his sophomore year.
According to Tift County boys basketball head coach Charles Burkett, who is in his first season as head coach with the team, Lawson was one of the first players that made an impression.
“My first impression of Kaden was that he wanted to extend his game out to the perimeter,” Burkett said.
At 6-foot-7, Lawson has been able to do that, learning to transition from a post player to being able to knock down the intermediate shot, along with the occasional 3-pointer.
In fact, not only has Lawson learned to be comfortable with his shot, but he now excels as a long-range threat on the offensive side, as well as taking advantage of his tall frame in the backcourt, according to Burkett.
“Kaden’s primary skills are his long-range shot and as a shot-blocker,” Burkett said.
Last year was Lawson’s second full season as a starter, and he began to show promise in all areas, including his time on the court, putting the ball in the basket, and on defense.
Lawson averaged 8.6 points per game, seeing action in all 28 games in 2024. He averaged 1.3 blocks per game, pulled down six rebounds per game, while averaging 1.3 blocks per game as he and his Tift County team finished 18-10, including a 6-4 record in Region 1-6A.
Tift County lost to Walton in the first round of the state playoffs last season.
So far this season, Lawson has dramatically improved his overall game. He is averaging 18 points per game, seven rebounds per game, and five blocks per game.
“Kaden has become our primary scorer and defender,” Burkett said.
One of the reasons Lawson has raised his game could be attributed to the fact that basketball is now his only sport at Tift County.
“I tried playing football; unfortunately it didn’t work out for me,” Lawson said. “I’m just a basketball player for now.”
Another factor that has played into Lawson’s growth as a player is that he has studied the best players and has tried to emulate the skills that set the great players apart from the rest.
“I fell in love with the way LeBron James blocks shots and how he plays the game so smart,” Lawson said. “On the other hand, I’ve always wanted to defend and shoot like Klay Thompson. I’ve also been studying Joe Johnson and taking some of his moves.”
As Lawson has blossomed into a complete player with his ability to defend and score, he has attracted attention from college recruiters, with offers so far coming from Iona, North Florida, Albany State University, South Carolina State, and Augusta University.
Despite the increased awareness about Lawson, Burkett said the best is still yet to come from Lawson.
“Kaden is still an under-the-radar talent for several major college programs.”
For Lawson, that’s exactly what he’s counting on as he makes the next step in his life.
“After this final season of high school, I want to attend college to play basketball and try my chances at going pro,” he said.
For now, Lawson says he’s happy to have been voted as Athlete of the Month.
“It feels great winning this award, and it shows me that my hard work is starting to be recognized,” the Tift senior said.
Oh yes, we noticed.
Congratulations to Tift County High School basketball player Kaden Lawson, ITG Next’s January 2026 Georgia Male Athlete of the Month.
