Who is the state's top player? Jelan Kendrick

By Chip Saye

For the AJC

The three major recruiting rankings (Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN) are in close agreement as to which boys basketball players are the top prospects in the state this year and next. Here are the players they rate as Georgia’s best:

Seniors

• Jelan Kendrick, Wheeler: A Memphis signee, Kendrick is the consensus top prospect in Georgia this year. The 6-foot-6, 186-pound wing player is the leading scorer for Class AAAAA No. 7 Wheeler after playing for Westlake last season. Rivals rates him as the No. 8 overall player in the country. Scout lists him as a five-star recruit and the No. 2 small forward.

• Ryan Harrow, Walton: The 6-foot, 160-pound guard is averaging nearly 32 points, six assists and five rebounds for Class AAAAA No. 5 Walton. The North Carolina State signee recently missed a few games after collapsing from dehydration during a game against Milton on Jan. 5. The five-star recruit is rated No. 24 nationally by Rivals and No. 48 by ESPN.

• Rion Brown, Liberty County: Brown, a 6-5, 185-pound shooting guard, is a four-star recruit who is rated No. 61 nationally by Rivals. Scout rates him as the No. 15 shooting guard and ESPN ranks him as the No. 40 shooting guard. Brown scored a career-high 42 points recently and is averaging nearly 21 points per game. He has signed with Miami.

• Jordan McRae, Liberty County: McRae teams with Brown to form one of the state’s best backcourts. He is averaging 17 points per game for the No. 3-ranked team in Class AAA. The 6-5, 175-pound McRae is a four-star recruit who is ranked as the nation’s No. 29 overall player by ESPN, the No. 42 player by Rivals and the No. 6 shooting guard by Scout. He has signed with Tennessee.

• Jeremy Lamb, Norcross: The four-star recruit came into the week averaging 18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds for the No. 4 team in Class AAAAA. The 6-4, 165-pound guard is ranked as the No. 13 shooting guard by Scout and the No. 68 player overall by Rivals. Lamb has signed with Connecticut.

• Trae Golden, McEachern: Golden will join McRae, his AAU teammate, at Tennessee next season. The 6-1, 185-pound Golden is rated as the No. 55 overall player by Rivals, the No. 19 shooting guard by Scout and the No. 33 shooting guard by ESPN.

• Marcus Thornton, Westlake: Thornton averages 26.5 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and 2.5 assists for a Westlake team that is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA. The 6-7, 215-pound Clemson signee is rated the No. 34 small forward by Scout and the No. 28 power forward by ESPN.

• Jershon Cobb, Columbia: The 6-4, 170-pound guard is rated the No. 90 overall player and a four-star recruit by Rivals. He is Scout’s No. 50 shooting guard and ESPN’s No. 73 shooting guard. Cobb, who has signed with Northwestern, averages about 17 points and six rebounds.

Juniors

• Shannon Scott, Milton, guard: Rivals rates him as the No. 12 junior in the nation. He has committed to Ohio State.

• Dai-Jon Parker, Milton, guard: He is a five-star recruit who is rated as the No. 17 junior by Rivals.

• Julian Royal, Milton, forward: A four-star recruit, Royal is rated the No. 30 junior by Rivals.

• Kevin Ware, Rockdale County, guard: Ware, who has committed to Tennessee, is rated the No. 22 junior by Rivals.

• Kentavious Caldwell, Greenville, guard: Scout calls him a five-star recruit and the top junior in Georgia.