Georgia is known as one of the top hotbeds in high school basketball. The Peach State produced 22 players who took the court in NBA games during the 2021-22 season, including Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, Anthony Edwards, Dwight Howard and Collin Sexton among others.
The Peach State also produced the No. 2 team in high school basketball in 2018-19 in McEachern, which went 32-0 en route to the GHSA AAAAAAA state title.
That led us to question where McEachern stacks up against the top teams in the state since the turn of the century. Evaluating resumes, national rankings and talent on the rosters, we put together a list of the top teams in Texas since 2000. See the complete breakdown below.
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown goes up for the layup playing for Wheeler at Dick's Nationals during his senior year in 2015.
File photo by Steven Ryan
Top 10 teams in Georgia since 2000
Record: 32-0
National ranking: No. 2
Notable players: Alyn Breed, Sharife Cooper, Jared Jones, Isaac Okoro
Rundown: The Indians ran the table against a grueling national schedule, picking up five wins over nationally ranked opponents and capturing the City of Palms Classic title. McEachern also capture the program's first state title in Georgia's highest classification behind MaxPreps National Player of the Year Cooper and second team MaxPreps All-America selection Okoro.
Record: 30-3
National ranking: No. 5
Notable players: Jaylen Brown, Makhai Eastmond, Darius Perry, Shembari Phillips
Rundown: Captured the AAAAAA state championship with a 59-58 victory over Pebblebrook behind a pair of clutch free throws with 0.5 second remaining by future NBA all-star Brown. During his senior year, Brown averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds and handed eventual national champion Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) its only loss of the season in the City of Palms title game.
Record: 29-2
National ranking: No. 7
Notable players: Al-Farouq Aminu, A.J. Hawkins, Zach Lamb, Taariq Muhammad
Rundown: Won the largest classification three consecutive seasons for the first time since Lanier from 1938-1940. McDonald's All American Aminu led the way, averaging 23.1 points and 11.2 rebounds as a senior. The talented group used stifling defense to hold a high-scoring Wheeler (Marietta) squad to its lowest output of the season in a 57-54 state title game victory.
Record: 32-1
National ranking: No. 6
Notable players: Henry Brooks, Brandon Morris, Tony Parker, Devon Provost
Rundown: A balanced scoring attack saw six players average seven or more points led by junior Parker, who averaged 17.5 points, 15.6 rebounds and 3.9 blocks. The Wolverines lone loss came against Southwest DeKalb (Decatur) in the Region 6 AAAA tournament title game. Miller Grove also won the Beach Ball Classic and went 5-0 against out-of-state opponents.
5. Wheeler 2004-05
Record: 31-1
National ranking: No. 11
Notable players: B.J. Corley, Sharaud Curry, James Florence, David Gonzalvez
Rundown: Captured the program's third state title in four seasons with a 63-47 victory over Norcross in the AAAAA state title game. The Wildcats were paced by a game-high 19 points from Florence, while Curry stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in the title game. Wheeler was unbeaten against in-state opponents.
Record: 29-3
National ranking: No. 7
Notable players: Broc Bidwell, Kendall Campbell, Kanaan Carlyle, L.T. Overton, Bruce Thornton
Rundown: After stumbling out of the gate with a 2-2 start to the season, the Eagles rallied to win 26 consecutive games while capturing the Beach Ball Classic and AAAAAAA state title. Milton fell to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) 73-68 in the opening round of GEICO Nationals despite receiving a game-high 22 points from second team MaxPreps Sophomore All-America selection Carlyle.
7. Milton 2011-12
Record: 28-4
National ranking: No. 3
Notable players: Shaquille Johnson, Charles Mann, Evan Nolte, Jalyn Patterson
Rundown: The Eagles won 24 consecutive games to close out the 2011-12 campaign, including capturing the title at the Beach Ball Classic with four double-digit wins over out-of-state opponents. Milton defeated Savannah 79-67 in the AAAA state title game behind 23 points and six rebounds from Johnson while Nolte and Patterson each chipped in 16.
8. Miller Grove 2015-16
Record: 31-3
National ranking: No. 15
Notable players: Aaron Augustin, Alterique Gilbert, Naquante Hardy, Raylon Richardson, Colin Young
Rundown: Although the Wolverines finished the year ranked outside of the top 10, they proved the ability to compete with any team in the nation at Dick's Nationals by defeating Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) 67-65 before losing to event champion Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) in a 47-46 heart breaker. Third team MaxPreps All-America selection Gilbert was the catalyst, averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds.
Record: 30-2
National ranking: No. 8
Notable players: Victor Enoh, Justin Forrest, Abayomi Iyiola, John Ogwuche, Ikey Obiagu
Rundown: A cohesive group saw five players average eight or more points led by Forrest (19.8). The Eagles went 5-1 against out-of-state opponents headlined by a signature win over Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) at the Chick-fil-A Classic. Greenforest won four state tournament contests by an average of 24 points en route to the A Private state title.
Record: 32-0
National ranking: No. 6
Notable players: Garrett Covington, Justin Lewis, Troy Morrison, Isaiah Wilkins
Rundown: Blew past opponents by an average of 24.7 points, with wins over six out-of-state opponents to extend its win streak to 50 games dating back to 2012-13. Wilkins led the way with 29 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in a 58-55 AA state title game triumph over Calhoun. The state title marked the third in four season and second straight.
