Jelan Kendrick, Wheeler
File photo by Louis Lopez
Here’s a primer:
What: The GHSA state basketball tournament.
When: Feb. 26 through March 7
Who: 320 teams competing for five boys and five girls championships.
Where: First- and second-round games are played at the home of the higher-seeded teams. Third-round games are played at various regional sites around the state. Semifinals and finals are played at the Gwinnett Arena and the Macon Centreplex.
History: Boys tournament began in 1922. Girls tournament began in 1945.
Class AAAAA boys
Defending champion: Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.)
Team to beat: Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.)
Next-best contender: Wheeler
Top player: Wheeler’s Jelan Kendrick is roundly considered Georgia’s top high school prospect. The Memphis signee is a McDonald’s All-American. His high school career has been erratic, so he has something to prove in the state tournament.
Top coach: Wheeler’s Doug Lipscomb, who has five state titles, all in the highest class, or Milton’s David Boyd, who seeks to become the first Georgia coach to win titles at four schools.
The skinny: Milton, MaxPreps’ No. 1 team in Georgia, defeated No. 3 Wheeler in overtime in a Region 6-AAAAA semifinal last week. That was a rematch of the 2009 state title. That gave Milton the better draw and makes it the favorite. Watch for MaxPreps’ No. 5 team Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.), featuring Clemson-signee Marcus Thornton, and No. 4 Norcross (Norcross, Ga.), which brings Connecticut-signee Jeremy Lamb.
Class AAAAA girls
Defending champion: Redan (Stone Mountain, Ga.)
Team to beat: Redan
Next-best contender: Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
Top player: Redan forward Nia Evans has committed to Virginia Tech.
Top coach: Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) coach Angie Hembree won three state titles at Collins Hill, where her most famous player was Connecticut All-American Maya Moore.
The skinny: Redan and Parkview are undefeated. Redan, ranked No. 11 nationally by MaxPreps, beat Parkview in the semifinals last year. This time, they would meet in the final. The most interesting outsider is Norcross, which features nationally-known freshmen Diamond DeShields and Kaela Davis. Norcross is actually ranked No. 2 overall in Georgia by MaxPreps due to its strong play nationally. Sleeper team North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.) is No. 3.
Class AAAA boys
Defending champion: Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.)
Team to beat: Miller Grove
Next-best contender: Rockdale County (Conyers, Ga.)
Top player: Rockdale point guard Kevin Ware has committed to Tennessee as a junior.
Top coaches: Mays (Atlanta, Ga.) coach Floyd Mack has a pair of state titles this decade. None of the top contenders has a coach with state-title experience.
The skinny: Though Rockdale has the top ranking, Miller Grove has played the more rugged schedule and comes from the state’s toughest league. Region 6-AAAA has won the past three titles in this class. But Miller Grove super sophomore Tony Parker is dealing with foot and ankle injuries. Also watch for Richmond Academy (27-1) of Augusta. MaxPreps ranks Miller Grove at No. 9 overall in Georgia. Rockdale is No. 24.
Class AAAA girls
Defending champion: Southwest DeKalb (Decatur, Ga.)
Team to beat: Southwest DeKalb
Top contender: Mays (Atlanta, Ga.)
Top player: Southwest DeKalb’s Kayla Lewis (signed with Florida) or Bainbridge’s Alexis Burke (Illinois).
Top coaches: Kathy Richey-Walton of Southwest DeKalb is looking for her third straight state title.
The skinny: Southwest DeKalb and Mays are schools with state titles this decade. Rome, at 28-1, has the best record, but most are betting on tradition.
Class AAA boys
Defending champion: South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.)
Team to beat: Columbia (Decatur, Ga.)
Next-best contender: LaGrange (LaGrange, Ga.)
Top players: Columbia’s high-scoring Jershon Cobb has signed with Northwestern.
Top coaches: Columbia’s Phil McRary seeks his third state title in five seasons, all in even years.
The skinny: LaGrange is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in some polls, but Columbia’s five losses are to out-of-state opponents, so most would favor Columbia, which MaxPreps puts at No. 6 overall in Georgia. Defending champ South Atlanta, which lost national player of the year Derrick Favors to graduation and Georgia Tech, remains a factor and is No. 8 in MaxPreps’ rankings.
Class AAA girls
Defending champion: Carrollton (Carrollton, Ga.)
Team to beat: Kendrick (Columbus, Ga.)
Next-best contender: Columbia (Decatur, Ga.)
Top player: As a prospect, it’s probably 6-5 Akila McDonald of Columbia, who has signed with South Florida.
Top coach: Kendrick’s Sterling Hicks has the most recent state title, in 2008.
The skinny: Kendrick is undefeated, just as it was in 2008 when it won the championship, but there have been few head-to-head games among the elite teams. Carver, Westover, Washington County and especially Columbia are top contenders.
Class AA boys
Defending champion: Dublin (Dublin, Ga.)
Team to beat: Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.)
Next-best contender: Laney (Augusta, Ga.)
Top player: GAC post player Trent Wiedeman has signed with the College of Charleston, though junior teammate Malcolm Brogdon, a wing player, is the team’s leading scorer and perhaps a better prospect ultimately.
Top coaches: Eddie Martin won state titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008 at Norcross before coming to GAC last season.
The skinny: GAC is ranked No. 2 in Georgia by MaxPreps and is clear-and-away the top-rated AA team. But Laney, with junior point guard Rod Hall, is legitimate.
Class AA girls
Defending champion: Buford (Buford, Ga.)
Team to beat: Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.)
Next-best contender: Vidalia (Vidalia, Ga.)
Top player: Buford point guard Andraya Carter is largely viewed as the state’s top sophomore. She is being courted by several top-10 college programs.
Top coach: Alvin Copeland of Macon’s Northeast High has won state titles in 1981, 1982, 1985 and 2002 in a 41-year career.
The skinny: This is probably the most wide open classification, boys or girls, in Georgia, and not because there’s not an elite team. There are several. Buford was the preseason No. 1, but GAC has beaten the Lady Wolves twice in the past month. Vidalia is undefeated. Laney, Northeast and Rabun County also are contenders, but Buford and GAC are probably the teams to beat.
Class A boys
Defending champion: Whitefield Academy (Atlanta, Ga.)
Team to beat: Wilkinson County (Irwinton, Ga.)
Next-best contender: Whitefield Academy
Top players: Greenville guard Kentavious Caldwell is the top-rated junior prospect in Georgia, according to a couple of recruiting services.
Top coaches: Whitefield’s Tyrone Johnson is seeking his third state title of the decade.
The skinny: Most view this as a two-team race. Wilkinson County and Whitefield Academy would meet in the semifinals.
Class A girls
Defending champion: Wesleyan (Norcross, Ga.)
Neam to beat: Wesleyan
Next-best contender: Randolph-Clay (Cuthbert, Ga.)
Top player: Point guard Candice Warthen of Warren County has signed with Arizona. Her team is not a real contender.
Top coach: Jan Azar of Wesleyan can become Georgia’s first girls coach with seven state titles.
The skinny: Wesleyan is the team most likely to win a state title in any classification.
