MaxPreps 2016-17 Georgia preseason girls basketball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Norcross celebrating region championship February 2016
See one of the Fab 5 having a celebratory moment last season.


1. St. Francis (Alpharetta)
Head coach: Aisha Kennedy
2015-16 record: 31-2

St. Francis has posted three state titles (2013, 2015, 2016) in the last four years but why rank one of the smallest schools in Georgia No. 1? A quick look at the starting lineup will give you the answer, with four Division I committed seniors (Kasiyahna Kushkituah, 6-foot-3, center committed to Tennessee; Maya Dodson, 6-1, power forward to Stanford; Taja Cummings, 5-6, point guard to Georgia Tech; Nichel Tampa, 5-6 guard to Western Kentucky). Two more Division I prospects (Arynn Eddy, 6-0, junior, guard/forward and Amirah Abur-Rahim, 6-3, freshman forward) round out the top six. In her seventh year at St. Francis, head coach Aisha Kennedy is preparing her team for another title run with a December trip to Nike TOC in Arizona and individual games versus larger school powers Collins Hill and Southwest DeKalb before the state 1A private school playoffs, which include last year's 2A finalists Wesleyan School and Holy Innocents Episcopal (each with multiple Power 5 prospects).

See the Georgia girls basketball computer rankings presented by the Army National Guard

2. McEachern (Powder Springs)
Head coach: Phyllis Arthur
2015-16 record: 25-7

In 10 years at McEachern, Phyllis Arthur has won four large school (6A, now 7A) Georgia state titles, including three in a row. With three quality perimeter players (Quanniecia Morrison, 5-10, senior, guard, Georgia commit; Lyndsey Whilby, 5-9, senior, wing, Texas Tech commit; Chanel Wilson, 5-7, junior, point guard) back, the Indians should be in the hunt for No. 4. Seniors Symone Oliver (5-10 forward) and Jasmine Clements (5-8 guard) will have to step up to replace graduation losses. With regular season games versus Norcross and Southwest DeKalb plus trips to face tough opposition in Maryland, New York, Texas and Virginia, the Indians will be more than battle tested come playoff time.

See the MaxPreps Georgia girls basketball stat leaders

3. Collins Hill (Suwanee)
Head coach: Brian Harmon
2015-16 record: 23-4

Collins Hill last won a Georgia state (and national) title in 2006-2007, led by Maya Moore, now of WNBA and Olympic fame. In his second year with the Eagles, Brian Harmon is building something special. The team has what most miss, namely two highly touted posts in junior Jada Rice (6-3) and sophomore Javyn Nicholson (6-3) plus a quality point guard in sophomore Bria Harmon (5-7, committed to Purdue and the coach's daughter). More firepower is supplied by wings Nia Lee (6-0, senior committed to Gardner-Webb), Jaron Stallworth (6-0, junior committed to Mercer) and junior Kayla Dixon (5-11). Being a bit young compared to others chasing the new 7A title, Collins Hill has games in Tennessee with two strong opponents in Riverdale of Murfreesboro and Houston of Memphis plus St. Francis back in Georgia.

See the MaxPreps Georgia girls basketball photos

4. Norcross
Head coach: Angie Hembree
2015-16 record: 25-5

Norcross, knocked out in the second round of the state playoffs last year, will attempt to go a few rounds farther and capture the large school (now 7A) state title, last accomplished in 2013. Coach Hembree knows something about winning, having collected six state titles over 22 years as a head coach. This year's Lady Blue roster will feature quality guard play led by the senior trio of Vanessa Blagmon (5-8, South Florida commit), Power 5 prospect Tylia Gillespie (5-10) and Taylor Mason (5-9, Miami of Florida commit). As always, Norcross will play a challenging schedule, including the Tennessee Turkey Jamm in November, the CresCom Bank Holiday Invitational in December and a game with defending 3A (large school) Tennessee champion Riverdale in January.

See the MaxPreps Georgia girls basketball playoff brackets

5. Southwest DeKalb (Decatur)
Head coach: Kathleen Richey Walton
2015-16 record: 27-6 The Panthers will attempt to repeat as the Georgia 5A state champions, and have won five during the 14-year tenure of Kathleen Richey Walton. Three seniors are expected to lead the way (5-11 small forward Jada Walton, committed to Texas A&M; 6-3 center Ogheneruona Uwusiaba, committed to Central Florida and 5-7 point guard Chantz Cherry, committed to Stony Brook). Sophomore guards Raven Thurman (5-7) and Lanee Edwards (5-5) are expected to help fill the void left by the departure of last year's leading scorer Daisa Alexander, now at Auburn. Southwest will be challenged in two events in the Christmas period (nearby Peach State Classic, and Ball and Prep in Alabama) plus individual games with Georgia powers McEachern and St. Francis.