You’ll hear this a lot this high school season. Georgia’s junior class is loaded. The statement probably won’t grow old either. Or false.

The Peach State is loaded. We spent the entire spring, summer and fall watching the class closely and the talent is staggering. The time was long overdue for us to update our class of 2017 rankings.

So, here they are…

CLICK HERE FOR THE GEORGIA 2017 RANKINGS

STAR POWER AT THE TOP

The class as a whole is rich with talent. There are three players who could make a legitimate argument for a spot in the McDonald’s All-American game.

Wendell Carter, the nation’s top prospect at Pace Academy, sets the bar high for the class within the state borders. The 6-foot-10 big man helped the United States U17 team win a gold medal in FIBA competition this summer. He was a key member of the Georgia Stars 17U team that won the Peach Jam. He’s better than he was in March. And that’s a scary thing for the rest of the state.

Coming in at No. 2 is the nation’s best shot-blocker and fastest rising star in prep basketball. Ikey Obiagu has only really been playing basketball for three years. The 7-footer at Greenforest continues to improve and emerge as one of the most unique amateur players in the world.

MJ Walker, the No. 3 ranked player in the new update, has something the two players in front of him don’t have. Two things, actually. The 6-foot-5 wing from Jonesboro High School has a pair of state championships.

DEPTH IS THE THEME OF THE CLASS

Our first update to the rankings since April and we have doubled the amount of players in the update. Now with 30 players listed,

The class is ridiculously deep. There are 59 players currently projected for the Division I level on our scouting reports. That’s an impressive number with two more full high school seasons to go for the class.

Our top six remains the same from our April release of the rankings. From there, things change. Davion Mitchell (Liberty County) has climbed to No. 7 overall. The Auburn guard had a monster showing on the travel season and was a major piece to the Georgia Stars 16U team, the Peach Jam champions.

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Pebblebrook graduated a stable of talent from last year’s AAAAAA runner-up season. Filling some of the void is North Carolina move-in J.J. Smith. The superb athlete brings some new flair to the state. He checks in at No. 11 overall. Of all of the players in the class, he’s one of the more intriguing ones and a guy that we need to see more of.

Now at Berkmar, Jay Estime is also a guy that is intriguing. The Peachtree Ridge guard was dynamic at our Fall Preview camp and gave us a lot to think through. He could continue to climb from his No. 17 spot.

Checking in at No. 25 overall, Tyshaun Crawford is one of the most promising prospects in the state. But patience is required. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center exploded on the scene at our Fall Preview camp and the big man could be the focal point down at Griffin High School.  

NOTABLE ITEMS

·      Wendell Carter is the fifth player from Georgia since 2004 to be considered the No. 1 player in his class at some point during the ranking process. Dwight Howard (Southwest Atlanta Christian/2004), Louis Williams (2005/South Gwinnett), Derrick Favors (2009/South Atlanta), Jaylen Brown (2015/Wheeler).

·      There are five players in our national Top 50 rankings from the state of Georgia.

·      Four schools have multiple players in the new top 30 state rankings. Greenforest and Westlake each have three while Berkmar and Norcross each have a pair.

·      Fulton County leads the way in this update of the rankings with seven players accounted for. Cobb and Gwinnett Counties each have five players in the rankings. Dekalb has four.