Preseason boys basketball rankings

In Class 6A, defending Class 7A state champion Grayson is back at No. 1 after completing a wire-to-wire run at the top of the polls last season for its historic first-ever state crown. Wheeler is back at No. 2 ahead of Norcross, which is debuting at No. 3 after closing out last season at No. 8 in the Class 7A poll. Newton and McEachern round out the top 5 with Buford coming in at No. 6.

Two Cobb County schools are next with Pebblebrook and Walton and Lambert and Etowah come in at No. 9 and No. 10. Milton finished No. 5 in Class 7A last season and is No. 1 to start the year in a new Class 5A landscape ahead of No. 2 Woodward Academy and No. 3 Tri-Cities.

Two-time Class 5A defending state champion Kell is now in a crowded Class 4A and debuts at No. 3 behind No. 1 ranked Pace Academy and reigning state champion North Oconee at No. 2. Westside-Augusta returns to No. 1 in Class 3A this year after taking last years Class 2A crown and Sandy Creek opens the year at No. 2. Class 2A is top-heavy with Columbia and Carver-Columbus at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

In Class A Div. 1, Toombs County opens the year at No. 1, Savannah gets that nod at No. 1 in Class A Div. 2 after finishing at No. 3 last year in Class A Div. 1 and Holy Innocents debuts as No. 1 in the newly-formed Class A-3A Private poll.

Class 6A

1. Grayson

2. Wheeler

3. Norcross

4. Newton

5. McEachern

6. Buford

7. Pebblebrook

8. Walton

9. Lambert

10. Etowah

Class 5A

1. Milton

2. Woodward Academy

3. Tri-Cities

4. Lee County

5. Hughes

6. Riverwood

7. Winder-Barrow

8. Habersham Central

9. Gainesville

10. Dutchtown

Class 4A

1. Pace Academy

2. North Oconee

3. Kell

4. Maynard Jackson

5. Eagles Landing

6. McDonough

7. St. Pius

8. Marist

9. Benedictine

10. Tucker

Class 3A

1. Westside-Augusta

2. Sandy Creek

3. Dougherty

4. Cedar Grove

5. Cross Creek

6. Baldwin

7. Johnson-Savannah

8. Upson-Lee

9. Pickens

10. Cherokee Bluff

Class 2A

1. Columbia

2. Carver-Columbus

3. Butler

4. Thomson

5. South Atlanta

6. Spencer

7. Westside-Macon

8. Hart County

9. Union County

10. Franklin County

Class A Division I

1. Toombs County

2. Southwest Macon

3. B.E.S.T. Academy

4. Jasper County

5. Model

6. Temple

7. Swainsboro

8. Woodville-Thompkins

9. Banks County

10. Rabun County

Class ADivision II

1. Savannah

2. Manchester

3. Warren County

4. Calhoun County

5. McIntosh County Academy

6. Macon County

7. Early County

8. Portal

9. Randolph-Clay

10. Mitchell County

Class A-3A Private

1. Holy Innocents

2. Greenforest Christian

3. North Cobb Christian

4. Paideia

5. Darlington

6. St. Francis

7. Lovett

8. Greater Atlanta Christian

9. Kings Ridge

10. Mount Vernon