In the spirit of the “SportsCenter” quest — modeled after the original 2005 “SportsCenter Across America” tour to hit all 50 states in 50 days — we’re spotlighting some of the top hoopers repping key stops along the way.
To rank the top boys’ and girls’ basketball talent since 2000, we’re placing a heavy emphasis on high school accolades — state titles, national honors, individual awards — along with on-court dominance, long-term legacy, recognition and overall influence on the game.
In this edition, we’re heading south to Georgia.
From Anthony Edwards to Maya Moore, these hoopers represent some of the finest to ever play high school basketball in the “Peach State.”
Men
1. Dwight Howard Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Class of 2004
His case: Howard was a dominant force for the Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy Warriors as a senior in 2004 when he averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists a game en route to posting a 31-2 record and a state title.
Howard, the top prospect in the ESPN 100 that year, swept the national awards — Morgan Wootten, Naismith and Gatorade — and went straight to the NBA, being picked No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic in 2004. In 18 NBA seasons, Howard played in eight NBA All-Star games, was named Defensive Player of the Year three times and won an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers.
2. Jaylen Brown Wheeler High School, Class of 2015
His case: Brown checked in at No. 4 overall in the ESPN 100 in the 2015 class and as a senior led the Wheeler High School Wildcats to a 30-3 record and their first state title since 2009, averaging 28 points and 12 rebounds a game. That led to Brown being named Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
He went on to grab Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors, averaging 14.6 points a game for the California Golden Bears. Brown was picked No. 3 overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA draft and in nine NBA seasons, he’s made four NBA All-Star games and won a championship in 2024 when he was named NBA Finals MVP.
3. Lou Williams South Gwinnett High School, Class of 2005
His case: Williams had a legendary run in high school, being named to the all-state team four times and leading the South Gwinnett High School Comets to a state title in 2004. As a senior, Williams averaged 27.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game and was named Parade National Player of the Year in 2005. He’s currently the No. 2 all-time leading scorer in Georgia history.
Williams went straight to the NBA out of high school after forgoing to play for the Georgia Bulldogs, being picked No. 45 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005. In his 17-year NBA career, Williams scored 13,396 points as a reserve, the most ever in NBA history, and won the Sixth Man of the Year award three times.
4. Anthony Edwards Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Class of 2019
His case: Edwards finished high school ranked No. 4 overall in the ESPN 100 for 2019. He averaged 25.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game for the Holy Spirit Preparatory School Cougars.
He went on to Georgia and was named SEC Freshman of the Year after leading all freshmen in the country in scoring, averaging 19.1 points a game for the Bulldogs. He went No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA draft and has been named an NBA All-Star three times.
5. Isaiah Collier Wheeler High School, Class of 2023
His case: Collier is a state legend, leading the Wheeler High School Wildcats to three state titles and claiming Naismith Player of the Year and Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2023 when he averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.
Collier finished ranked No. 1 overall in the ESPN 100 in 2023 and went on to USC to average 16.3 points and 4.3 assists, good enough to be named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. He was picked No. 29 overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA draft. In his first season as a pro, Collier averaged 8.7 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.
Women
1. Maya Moore Collins Hill High School, Class of 2007
Her case: Moore won the Naismith Player of the Year award twice while leading the Collins Hill High School Eagles to a 125-3 record in four years. She won three state titles and finished with 2,664 points, 1,212 rebounds, 407 assists and 467 steals.
She finished ranked No. 1 overall in the ESPNW 100 in 2007 before going on to achieve legendary status at UConn, where she led the Huskies to two national titles and finished 150-4 in her four-year career. Moore took home Big East Player of the Year three times, National Player of the Year twice and finished her career as the fourth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,036 points.
Moore was picked No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2011 WNBA draft and had her jersey retired in 2024 after winning four WNBA titles in her eight-year career. Moore was named WNBA Finals MVP in 2013 and she’s the all-time leading scorer (441 points) in WNBA Finals history.
2. Diamond DeShields Norcross High School, Class of 2013
Her case: DeShields finished ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPNW 100 in 2013 and won the Naismith Player of the Year award after averaging 26 points, seven rebounds, 4.5 steals and 3.8 assists a game and leading the Norcross High School Blue Devils to their third state title in four seasons.
She went on to North Carolina and averaged 18 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game en route to claiming National Freshman of the Year honors. She transferred to Tennessee after her first year and averaged 15.7 points a game in two seasons with the Vols. DeShields was picked No. 3 overall by the Chicago Sky in 2018 and went on to help them win a WNBA title in 2021.
3. Asia Durr St. Pius X Catholic School, Class of 2015
Her case: Durr finished high school ranked No. 2 overall in the ESPNW 100 for 2015, led the St. Pius X Catholic School Golden Lions to two state titles and won back-to-back Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
Durr finished in 2015 with 2,764 points, 706 rebounds, 254 assists, 266 steals and 75 blocks. Durr elevated their play at Louisville, claiming ACC Player of the Year twice and All-American honors once before being picked No. 2 overall by New York Liberty in the 2019 WNBA draft.
4. Dearica Hamby Norcross High School, Class of 2011
Her case: Hamby helped the Norcross High School Blue Devils claim their second straight title in 2011 and skyrocketed her dominance at Wake Forest, becoming the Demon Deacons’ all-time leading scorer with 1,801 points and rebounder with 1,021 boards. Hamby was picked No. 6 overall by the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) in the 2015 WNBA draft and in 10 seasons, she’s been named Sixth Woman of the Year twice and won a WNBA title with the Aces in 2022.
5. T’ea Cooper McEachern High School, Class of 2015
Her case: Cooper was a McEachern High School legend, leading her squad to three state titles and averaging 27.3 points, 7.3 assists and 3.5 steals a game as a senior when she finished ranked No. 12 overall in the ESPNW 100 for 2015. Cooper won co-MVP of the McDonald’s All American game that year and went on to star at Tennessee, South Carolina and Baylor, where she averaged 11.2 points a game during her collegiate career.
Cooper was drafted No. 18 overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2020 WNBA draft.
