Top 25 Georgia high school boys basketball rankings (1/10/2024)

Grayson is No. 1 in our first poll of the 2023-24 season; McEachern, Sandy Creek, Alexander and Berkmar round out the top five

Having turned the corner to 2024 we now have enough data to analyze the 2023-24 high school basketball season and that leads us to our first 2023-24 Georgia High School Boys Basketball Power 25 rankings.

The team atop the list shouldn't surprise anyone.

The Grayson Rams come in at No. 1 with their 15-1 record, while McEachern slots in right behind them. Sandy Creek, Alexander and Berkmar round out a great Top 5.

Overall, the state of Georgia and its eight classifications are well-represented.

GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL POWER 25 (1/10/2024)

1. Grayson (15-1)

As of January 10th, there is no disputing who the No. 1 team in the state of Georgia is for boys basketball. The Rams are undefeated against teams in the state of Georgia and already have a signature win against McEachern, their biggest threat in Class 7A. The Rams are fresh off a 73-38 drubbing of rival Archer Tuesday night.

2. McEachern (11-3)

The Indians come in at No. 2 in the first Power 25 poll of the season and that shouldn’t come as any surprise. They have lost just one game to an in-state opponent, and that was to No. 1 Grayson in the first game of the season. Their two best in-state wins include Kell and Alexander.

3. Sandy Creek (12-2)

The Patriots are the defending Class 3A state champs and they’re the front-runners to repeat after jumping out to an impressive 12-2 start. They’ve lost just one game to an in-state opponent, and it was to Grayson by one point. They have two quality wins already against Mount Vernon and Buford to pair with their narrow loss to the state’s best team.

4. Alexander (14-2)

The Cougars come in at No. 4 in the first Power 25 rankings of the season and they find themselves in great company. They’ve played a difficult schedule and have looked good. They’re 14-2 with two wins against Mount Vernon and a 12-point victory at Wheeler. They looked competitive in a recent 58-46 loss to No. 2 McEachern as well.

5. Berkmar (14-2)

The Patriots haven’t played too difficult of a schedule up until this point, but they’re an impressive 14-2 on the season with three quality wins against Wheeler, Greenforest and Shiloh.

While Grayson and McEachern appear to be the Top 2 teams in Class 7A, Berkmar is not too far behind.

6. Kell (14-3)

The Longhorns have played the state’s best of the best through their first 17 games and they haven’t performed all that well in those games. They were blown out against both Grayson and McEachern and were also beaten by a good Newton team. But the Longhorns are still one of the state’s best, and they are the best in Class 5A.

7. Wheeler (11-4)

The defending Class 7A state champs come in at No. 7 in the first Power 25 rankings of the year after jumping out to an 11-4 start. They have not fared well in their biggest in-state games, losing to Alexander, Berkmar and Kell. The Wildcats don’t have nearly the firepower that they had last year, but they’re still one of the state’s best.

8. Mount Vernon (10-7)

The Mustangs haven’t been your average Class A D-1 school this season, and their schedule proves that. They’ve played a very challenging schedule and despite losing seven games, they’ve proven themselves to be one of the state’s best. Four of their seven losses have come against teams ranked ahead of them, and they very nearly won three of them. They lost to Sandy Creek by three points and twice to Alexander by five points, including an overtime loss.

9. Holy Innocents (10-5)

The Golden Bears are vastly improved from one season ago and star junior power forward Caleb Wilson is the reason why. They’re off to a 10-5 start and already have a quality win over Alexander. Their in-state losses have come against McEachern, Wheeler and Woodward Academy, and they weren’t all too competitive in any of those three.

10. Newton (12-2)

Rounding out the Top 10 is Newton, who is off to a solid 12-2 start under first-year head coach Barry Browner. Their starpower in Stephon Castle is gone, but that hasn’t stopped them from earning impressive wins over Kell and Buford. They weren’t competitive against Wheeler and lost to Greenforest by 10, but they’re still playing well at this point in the season.

11. Buford (13-3)

The Wolves have taken another step this season and their 13-3 start proves that. They don’t have a signature win yet, but they have been very competitive in their losses. They suffered a 4-point loss against Newton, and a 6-point loss against Sandy Creek. The Wolves are the favorites to win their region.

12. Pace Academy (12-2)

The Knights are cruising right along, much like they do every season and come in at No. 12 in the first Power 25 of the season. They’ve played a decent schedule up until this point, but nothing too crazy. Both of their losses have come against out-of-state opponents.

13. Greenforest (12-4)

The Eagles don’t have their 7-footers anymore, but they’ve still very quietly had a great start to the season. They have a 10-point win against Newton and were competitive in a loss to Berkmar. Their next best win aside from Newton came against Hughes by 25 points.

14. McDonough (15-2)

The War Hawks improved to an impressive 15-2 on Tuesday night and they’re 6-0 in region play. The only thing keeping them from being ranked higher is their schedule. They haven’t played all that challenging of a schedule up until this point with their best win coming against Cedar Grove.

15. Tucker (11-4)

The Tigers come in at No. 15 in the first Power 25 rankings of the year after jumping out to an 11-4 start. They’ve played a quality schedule up until this point and have been very competitive. They lost to Holy Innocents by just three points, and they lost to Buford in double overtime by two points. They’re currently riding an 8-game winning streak dating back to Dec. 12.

16. Shiloh (12-3)

The Generals are off to a 12-3 start, and while they haven’t looked stellar, they’ve played solid basketball up until this point. They gave Berkmar a tough test, but they don’t have a signature win yet. They ended 2023 on a sour note, losing back-to-back games to Tucker and Chapel Hill.

17. Woodward Academy (12-4)

The War Eagles got off to a great start this season, playing Grayson somewhat close before beating Holy Innocents by 20 points. Since then, they haven’t done much. They’re fresh off a disappointing 7-point loss to Jonesboro, which is by far their worst loss of the season.

18. Langston Hughes

The Panthers are 10-3 to start the year and all three have come against teams ranked ahead of them. Their three losses have come against Wheeler, Greenforest and Pace Academy and while they weren’t all that competitive in any of those three, they did keep it close against the Wildcats last weekend. Their best win to date has come against Dutchtown.

19. St. Pius (11-4)

The Golden Lions are playing some good basketball at the midway point of their season. They opened the season with a slim 3-point loss to Holy Innocents and have been solid ever since. There isn’t anything super flashy about their wins, or their schedule as a whole, but their 11-4 record is good.

20. Walton (13-3)

The Raiders are playing great basketball so far this season and come in at No. 20 in the first Power 25 rankings of the season. They’re 13-3 and outside of a couple of hiccups, have been very competitive in a weaker Class 7A than normal.

21. Dutchtown (11-6)

The Bulldogs had a relatively strong start to the season with a slim 3-point loss against Wheeler, a win against Osborne and a narrow loss to Hughes. But they have since trended in the wrong direction. They’re just 3-3 in their last six games.

22. Tri-Cities (9-5)

The Bulldogs have flown under the radar a tad bit so far this season with their 9-5 record. But they’ve very quietly played a very quality schedule that includes a competitive loss against Wheeler and Alexander to open up the season. They were also competitive against Sagement (Fl.), one of the best teams in the sunshine state.

23. Chapel Hill (9-4)

The Panthers are off to a solid 9-4 start this season, and they’ve played a competitive schedule to boot. They lost to Wheeler by nine and Tri-Cities by five, but have a quality win over Shiloh. They come in at No. 23 in the first Power 25 rankings of the year.

24. Decatur (12-4)

The Bulldogs are another team that has flown under the radar a tad bit this season. They’re 12-4 and already have a quality win over Tucker. They were also competitive in a 5-point loss to Hughes. They come in at No. 24.

25. Jackson (11-1)

The Jaguars round out the Top 25 with the final spot after their 11-1 start to the year. Their only loss came against No. 23 Chapel Hill and they’ve looked good in every other contest. They have some big games coming up, including the first of two showdowns with Tri-Cities Friday night.