UGASports Top 25
The classes of 2015 and 2016 in Georgia are both loaded with talented
basketball prospects. UGASports has been tracking many of them for a few years
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now. Today, we are set to release our rankings of the Top 25 prospects in each
class, and both lists include a pair of prospects that will be playing college
basketball in Athens.
UGASports Top 25 for 2015
UGASports Top 25 for 2016
UGASports Top 10 for 2017
Dawgs doing better in-state
The most important part of the job for the head basketball coach at Georgia is
making sure you keep the top prospects in the Peach State home for college. Mark
Fox has signed some good players from in-state, but a lot of talent has slipped
away in the past few years.
The good news for Bulldogs fans is that two of the top prospects in each of the
next two classes are already committed or signed to play at Georgia, and there
could be more coming. In the 2015 class, Will Jackson decided to back out on an
early commitment to UConn in order to sign with Georgia. The 6-foot-5 combo
guard currently has a spot in the Rivals150 and is having a terrific senior
season at Athens Christian. We have him as the 5th best prospect in the
Georgia's 2015 class.
Jackson is joined in the 2015 top 25 by Pebblebroook big man Derek Ogbeide, who
comes in at 6th overall. The Dawgs came from behind in Ogbeide's recruitment and
beat out schools such as Houston, Memphis, and Virginia Tech. He too is having a great senior season. Over the weekend,
he recorded two double-doubles in big region wins over Douglas County and
Campbell. He tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 blocks in Friday night's
game.
In the 2016 class, Georgia is off to a great start as they received early
commitments from Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris back in September. Both are
currently ranked as 4-star shooting guard prospects by Rivals.com. The pair of
guard, as the 3rd best prospect in Georgia's 2016 class, while Harris, a
6-foot-4 wing, comes in at 6th overall.
Bulldogs continue to battle for Brown
It wasn't a tough decision to name Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler small forward Jaylen Brown as the top overall prospect in Georgia at this time. He's currently a 5-star
prospect and the ranked No. 2 overall in the nation behind LSU signee Ben
Simmons. At 6-foot-7, Brown is an elite athlete that worked hard on his game
over the past few years to become an impact player as well. He's an elite rebounder, electric in the transition game, and shoots
the ball well out to
three-point range.
Ever since Fox made the decision to hire Yasir Rosemond as an assistant coach
last summer, the Bulldogs have been considered a serious player for Brown's
services. Rosemond and Brown have a relationship that dates back to when Brown
was in middle school and Brown considers Rosemond to be a "big brother". Still,
it's not going to be easy for Georgia to pull off the recruiting upset.
Brown, who just completed an official visit to North Carolina this weekend, has
all the top basketball programs around the country recruiting him. Along with
with Georgia's arch rival, Georgia Tech. Look for Brown to make a decision after
his senior season ends, likely sometime in April or May.
Will Lewis continue his family legacy?
We mentioned above that Georgia already has two commitments in the 2016 class.
On paper as of today, it looks like they will only have one more scholarship to
use in that class, and that spot is likely to go to a post player.
That's where Milton power forward Chris Lewis comes into play. The four-star
prospect is the son of former Bulldog football star Mo Lewis, who spent many
years playing for the New York Jets. His mother also graduated from Georgia. So,
the Bulldogs naturally have a place in the heart of the Lewis family.
However, there will be plenty of competition for Lewis. Along with his offer
several times in the past year and has also taken visits to Auburn, Georgia
Tech, Miami and Notre Dame. Don't expect a decision from Lewis any time soon.