Class 6A runner-up Grayson boys basketball weathering transfer losses

Grayson has been the talk of Georgia basketball over the past few years. The Rams won their first state championship two years ago over McEachern and then went out and got a 5-star transfer in Caleb Holt. Holt paired up with UGA commit Jacob Wilkens and together helped Grayson become one of the top teams in the country, going 28-4 last year.

Grayson participated in many major tournaments, however, the Rams got upset in the 6A semifinals by eventual champions Wheeler 68-53.

Despite losing 2025 graduates like Wilkins and Kennesaw State commit Amir Taylor, the Rams looked like a team ready to get back to the state championship. However, the offseason has been anything but great for the Rams.

It all started when five-star Caleb Holt announced that he would be transferring from Grayson to Prolific Prep for his senior season. Keeping five-stars around in a basketball scene with a ton of major prep schools is very difficult so although the loss of Holt is obviously very bad, it is not the most unexpected thing to happen this offseason. That came a few weeks later when 2028 guard Blaze Johnson announced he would be transferring to the Overtime Elite Academy. Johnson was next up for Grayson and made an impact as a freshman on a loaded 2024 Rams’ team. Another player like Johnson who was expected to make a big impact in an expanded role this season was Janon Signh. The 2027 forward picked up multiple division one offers, but unfortunately transferred to Kevin Durant’s former high school Oak Hill Prep. Also, 6-foot-6 forward Travis Burgess quit basketball following the season to pursue football. In total, Grayson lost eight transfers from the end of last season until now.

Now, Grayson is having to deal with the losses of all of those players and figure out how to possibly turn it all around. To add on top of that, Grayson is in a region with the 6A runners-up Newton.

It starts with the addition of 2027 guard MJ Curry. The top-150 player in the country transferred in from Grovetown. Curry is 6-foot-5 and has good size to him and uses it to get to the rim. He is one of the highest flyers in the state. He is expected to be one of Grayon’s top scorers this season.

Another player that will have to step up is 2028 big man Elijah Tillman. The division one football prospect is a star on the basketball court. Like Johnson, he did not play much last year, but is going to get a big role this season. He will likely be Grayson’s big man, standing at 6-foot-8 and uses his football size to his advantage. He has dominated over the offseason playing with the Atlanta Celtics on the AAU circuit. If Curry and company can handle the scoring (which obviously Tillman will get in on), Tillman can take over on the other side of the court and be a pest to anyone trying to score inside.

The other transfer that Grayson brought in for the 2025 season is Donoven Thomas. The 2026 guard was a force on the AAU circuit and dropped nearly 40 points in one of his games. Thomas comes in from Manyard Jackson. Thomas showed off his hustle during the GBCA live period, on multiple plays using his quick hands to force turnovers and diving for the ball. If Tillman is going to make it hard to score inside, Thomas is going to make it hard to get inside. He can also knock down shots and will be a good spot up shooter for the Rams. 

The last player the is getting spotlighted (although there are plenty more) is Ja’Cori Thompson. Thompson is basically the Tillman/Johnson of the 2029 class for Grayson (although he is a very different player). Thompson is a rising freshman who is expected to get early action for the Rams. Thompson is already reportedly 6-foot-7 before ever playing in his freshman season and has become a household name. He can use his frame to be able to get dirty under the basket as well as being able to use his speed to create transition buckets. Thompson was getting playtime with some of Grayson’s top players at the GBCA live period. He has been playing with former NBA player Kenny Smith's AAU team, The Jet Academy, over the offseason. 

Despite all of the losses, Grayson still brings with them a lot of talent that can be one of the best teams in 6A. Only time will tell whether this Grayson team can deal with all of the turnover from last season, but head coach Geoffery Pierce will have to deal with such.

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