With the high school basketball season right around the corner, there’s a big story brewing that you will want to keep an eye on. For the first time since Dwight Howard (Southwest Atlanta Christian) was so recognized back in 2004, the No. 1 high school basketball prospect in the nation hails from Georgia. Derrick Favors, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward from South Atlanta High School, goes into his senior season as the most coveted player in the nation. With a history of letting top players leave the state, and the future of college basketball in Georgia at stake, I hope Favors decides to stay home for his college career (as short-lived as it might be).
For some reason, staying at home has not been an attractive option for the state’s elite high school players in past memory. Using the top 10 players in the nation as examples, the Peach State hasn’t been able to net a big fish in over 10 years, starting with Harvey, who went to Florida. In 2001, Brunswick’s Kwame Brown (No. 6 in the nation) went pro (Washington Wizards). In 2004, Fairburn’s Randolph Morris (No. 10 in the nation) chose Kentucky, while Howard jumped to the NBA. In 2005, South Gwinnett’s Louis Williams (No. 5 in the nation) went pro. In 2007, Wheeler’s J.J. Hickson (No. 9 in the nation) picked N.C. State. And in 2008, Norcross’ Al-Farouq Aminu (No. 7 in the nation) decided on Wake Forest. Now it’s up to Favors to end the drought.
In basketball, more so than any other sport, one player can make a big difference. Both the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech have much to gain by landing Favors. He is a “franchise” player who will contribute immediately at the college level and make his team better. Despite the reality of Favors leaving early for the NBA after one season, both schools are willing to take the chance in order to attract more elite talent in the future, using him as an example. For both Georgia schools, his signing in-state would send a message to future in-state prospects that there’s nothing wrong with staying home. And with top-10 prospects being developed on a yearly basis and a tremendous class expected in 2011, now it is more important than ever to try to keep the talent at home.
KEEP HIM HERE
As if Paul Hewitt and Dennis Felton didn’t have enough to worry about competing amongst themselves, there are four other colleges courting Favors (NC State, Memphis, Florida State and Kentucky). Although he has stated he won’t make his decision until April, the pursuit of his talents will be fun to watch.
College basketball in the state hasn’t been exactly catching the world on fire in the past few years. Georgia’s heroic but short-lived visit to the NCAA Tournament last season had more to do with luck than talent or coaching. If I asked you to name five players on Georgia Tech’s or Georgia’s basketball teams, could you do it? One of the reasons for the mediocrity in play as of late is the mediocrity of talent. Both the Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets have let many of the top prospects in Georgia slip away over the past few years. If Favors stays home, he’ll be doing the entire state a big favor.
But that’s just my opinion.
Dankosky can be reached at kdankosky@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
