11 boys basketball players to watch: 5 defending state champions on the list
Here are 11 elite boys basketball players to watch ahead of Friday’s opening games this season.
They include five who won state titles last season. Those are Wheeler’s Colben Landrew, Holy Innocents’ Devin Hutcherson, North Oconee’s Justin Wise and Tri-Cities’ Jalan Wingfield and Tre Keith. All 11 played on state-contending teams and made senior-dominated all-state teams as juniors or sophomores last season.
Will Dopfer, Lambert
Dopfer, a 6-foot-7 wing/forward, averaged 20 points and eight rebounds for a 26-3 team that reached the Class 6A second round last season. Dopfer was his region’s co-player of the year and an AJC second-team all-state choice. Dopfer committed to Longwood last month.
Gregory “Pops” Dunson, Alexander
Dunson, a 6-0 point guard, averaged 18.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season for a Class 5A quarterfinal team. He averaged 31.3 points in the playoffs. Dunson was his region’s player of the year and made second-team 5A all-state. A consensus top-200 national senior prospect, Dunson committed to Colorado State in September.
Manny Green, Cedar Grove
Green, a four-year starter, was the AJC’s Class 3A player of the year last season, when Cedar Grove was the 3A runner-up. Green averaged 19.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He also made all-state as a freshman on Cedar Grove’s 2023 runner-up team. Rated the No. 90 senior prospect nationally by 247Sports, Green is a 6-6 power forward who committed to Tennessee last month.
Jarvis Hayes Jr., Woodward Academy
A 6-5 shooting guard, Hayes averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals as a sophomore for the Class 5A runner-up last season. He made honorable-mention all-state. Hayes is the consensus No. 30 junior prospect nationally and the son of a former Georgia and NBA standout. He is uncommitted. He has at least 10 scholarship offers, including those from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia State, where his dad is an assistant coach.
Devin Hutcherson, Holy Innocents’
Hutcherson was a first-team Class 3A-A Private all-state player on Holy Innocents’ state championship team, which also featured AJC all-class player of the year Caleb Wilson, a forward now at North Carolina. Hutcherson, a 6-4 small forward, averaged 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals. A top-250 national prospect, Hutcherson committed to Belmont in October.
Tre Keith, Tri-Cities
Keith was a combo guard on Tri-Cities’ Class 5A championship team last season and made second-team Class 5A all-state. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.1 assists and 3.9 steals. He is an uncommitted consensus top-75 junior prospect. Georgia and Georgia Tech have offered.
Colben Landrew, Wheeler
Landrew is the consensus No. 1 GHSA senior prospect. He transferred to Wheeler last season from Thompson High in Alabama and led the Wildcats to their 10th state title. He scored 19 points in the Class 6A final against Newton, scoring the go-ahead basket and then six consecutive free throws to seal the victory. Landrew, a 6-6 small forward, committed to UConn last month.
Chase Lumpkin, McEachern
Lumpkin made second-team Class 6A all-state as a sophomore for a top-10 team last season. He averaged 17 points, six rebounds and three assists. A 6-5 shooting guard, he’s a consensus top-75 national junior prospect. Rutgers, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Auburn are among those offering.
Jerrin Samuel, Winder-Barrow
Samuel was a second-team AJC all-state player in Class 5A for a 26-4 team that reached the quarterfinals. A 6-5 guard, he averaged 18.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.4 steals. He made 85 3-pointers at a 44% rate. He has offers from Furman, Tulane, Rice and Yale.
Jalan Wingfield, Tri-Cities
Wingfield starred on Tri-Cities’ Class 5A championship team last season as a junior and made first-team all-state. He scored 20 points and had 19 rebounds in the championship game against Woodward Academy and averaged 16.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots for the season. He’s a 6-8 power forward who committed to Georgia Tech in September. He’s rated the No. 100 senior prospect nationally by 247Sports. Wingfield is a son of former Cincinnati and NBA player Dontonio Wingfield, a high school legend from the 1990s at Westover in Albany.
Justin Wise, North Oconee
Wise was the Class 4A player of the year as a sophomore last season after leading North Oconee to its second straight state title. He averaged 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He scored 27 points and pulled seven rebounds in the championship game. He is a 6-4 shooting guard. He is a top-100 junior prospect who is uncommitted. Georgia, Auburn, Miami and Florida State are among those that have offered.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
