STAYING HOME: Milton’s Mann pledges to play at UGA

Charles Mann, the top point guard in the state, decided out of his impressive 24 college offers to play for the Georgia Bulldogs next year. Mann just recently transferred from Union Grove High School to Milton High School, where he has been working out and practicing with the team this summer. According to Milton head coach David Boyd, Mann has been playing well and fitting in well with the team. Boyd described him as an unselfish player with a “high basketball IQ,” and at 6’3” 193 lbs, he should continue to excel in the more competitive 5A division.

In fact, Boyd says the main reason Mann transferred to Milton was for tougher competition. “He wanted to have a chance to compete against players that are at a higher level,” Boyd said, “instead of just, you know, being the dominant player.” Mann wants to put himself in the best position possible to transition from high school to D1 ball. While playing for Milton will certainly give Mann a chance to further test his skills, he had already caught the eyes of college scouts playing on the Southern Select AAU team last summer. UGA Coach Mark Fox (along with several other coaches) attended almost every one of Mann’s AAU games. This spring, UConn made Mann an offer, and soon other schools followed suit—23 other schools to be exact.

Mann had it narrowed down to UGA or Florida State but ultimately committed to the Dawgs as of Friday, July 22nd. UGA is close enough to home for his family and friends to come to games, but it’s not in his backyard like Georgia Tech. Also, with two starting point guards graduating from UGA, Mann will have a chance to be a starter himself his freshman year, a huge incentive.

Coach Fox is very excited to have Mann join his team, and Mann officially signs to UGA in November. In the meantime, fans can watch Mann play one more exciting high school season with Coach Boyd and the Milton Eagles. “He’s just a really nice young man,” said Boyd, “I’m looking forward to working with him this season, and we hope that maybe he can lead us all the way.”