The high school regular season is wrapping within the next ten days. There is some attention that is beginning to be paid on who will earn post-season awards. We look at the favorites to be awarded Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia.

Pros: Cooper is leading the best team in the state to an undefeated season. McEachern has played a national schedule and the 6-foot point guard is consistently the best player on the court. He is ending on a strong note as well. Since returning from the Hoop Hall Classic over MLK weekend, Cooper has recorded the following stat lines in two games:

42 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
45 points, 9 assists, 5 steals

Cooper has his foot pressed all the way to the floor to end the season. His gaudy scoring aside, Cooper is a proven distributor and pesky defender. His ability to affect the game in multiple areas should be noted.

Cons: Can we even write anything here?

He is a junior and maybe the voters do not want the task of awarding him this title for two years in a row (weak argument).

Pros: Edwards is a consensus top five player in his class. After reclassifying from the class of 2020 to 2019, Edwards quickly became one of the most pursued prospects nationally. One could even argue that he is the best NBA prospect in the class given his athleticism and scoring ability from the backcourt position. His skills could be compared to Utah Jazz combo guard Donovan Mitchell. His numbers while playing a tough national schedule are impressive. Take note of his 41-point effort Archbishop Carroll (DC) and 24 points versus Montverde Academy (FL) as evidence that Edwards is putting in quality work versus some of the best nationally.

Cons: No player from the GISA league has ever been named Mr. Basketball. Historically when comparing GISA versus GHSA, the competition disparity alone ends the conversation. Holy Spirit can easily show that they played a tough schedule, with national competition than most GHSA schools. However, their double-digit losses will be hard to justify versus McEachern’s spotless record against some of the same top national opponents.

JALEN BENJAMIN

Meadowcreek High School
2019

The Numbers: 17.3ppg, 4 assists, 1.6 steals
School Record: 18 – 4

BRANDON BOSTON

Norcross High School
2020

The Numbers: 18.6ppg, 5.1rpg, 2 assists, 2 steals
School Record: 17 – 7

DEIVON SMITH

Grayson High School
2020

The Numbers: 15.5ppg, 8.9rpg, 5.5apg, 2.4spg
School Record: 20 – 3

MARCUS WATSON

Buford High School
2019

The Numbers: 18.8ppg, 5.3rpg
School Record: 20 – 2