Wheeler boys basketball team to play in high-profile post-season tournament
Wheeler’s boys basketball team, the defending champion and No. 1-ranked team in Class 6A, will play in the Throne National Championship next month in New Jersey. The eight-team field was announced Thursday.
Five of the eight teams, including Wheeler at No. 15, are in the top 25 of MaxPreps’ national rankings. The others are No. 2 Calvary Christian of Florida, No. 5 Sunnyslope of Arizona, No. 16 Ranier Beach of Washington and No. 22 Heritage of Texas. The other teams are Bergen Catholic of New Jersey, Heritage of Texas and Long Island Lutheran of New York.
Wheeler is 21-6 this season with five losses to out-of-state teams. The other loss was a forfeit against Marietta for playing more than the GHSA-allowed 25 regular-season games. Wheeler is playing at home Saturday night against South Forsyth in the second round of the state tournament.
Wheeler has three of the six highest-rated senior prospects playing in the GHSA this season. They are Colben Landrew (UConn signee), Jaron Saulsberry (Ole Miss) and Amare James (Clemson),
The tournament will be played March 19-21 in East Rutherford. The tournament also includes an eight-team girls bracket but with no Georgia teams.
The winners of the tournament — a boys team and a girls team — will split a prize of $50,000, according to NJ.com.
Most state associations do not allow their teams to play in post-season tournaments. Georgia changed its bylaws in 2015 after denying Wheeler a chance to play in one at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Under pressure from the Georgia legislature, the GHSA relented and allowed Wheeler to go. Several Georgia basketball teams have played post-season tournaments in the past 12 seasons.
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.
