Derrick Favors

Sports

Derrick Favors

Derrick Favors, a 6-foot-9 center from South Atlanta High, announced he'll attend Georgia Tech.

Derrick Favors, a 6-foot-9 forward from South Atlanta High, has won two national player awards and is the No. 1 college prospect in the nation. And for the first time, he's Mr. Georgia Basketball. Click through the photos from Jan. 14, the night that Favors announced he would attend Georgia Tech in the fall.

Considered the top high school player in the nation by one recruiting service, Favors announced he'll play for Georgia Tech on Jan. 14.

Favors (left) kept his decision to himself and a few others. The insiders included South Atlanta coach Michael Reddick and an assistant but not anyone from the schools he chose from, he said. Even his teammates, shown here getting set to take the court against Eagle's Landing High Jan. 13, didn't know until he announced his choice.

The competition on the court that night wasn't so tough for Favors, but the Hornets center (left, awaiting a free throw rebound) got a workout just guarding his secret one more day.

At Eagle's Landing that night, the gym was 80 percent full despite a home team that has only two victories. Late in the third quarter of the blowout, the fans got a treat when...

... Favors made a steal near half court, drove to the foul line, threw a lob high off the backboard, caught the carom and dunked it. "Clearly, that's an NBA play," said Charlie Marsh, a McDonough resident who was watching Favors for the first time, just out of curiosity. "I heard he was a highlight player, and I came to check him out. The style of his work is very creative. That was nice."

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt (right) attended the Jan. 14 game.

Along with the big win - Favors scored 30 points in barely three quarters work of South Atlanta's 87-53 victory - comes local celebrity. "Derrick definitely draws a crowd," Reddick said. "We played in Jackson, Ga., on Saturday, and they told us you made us some money. It's normally a third this full. It was packed, people wanting to take pictures and autographs."

Choosing where he'll play collegiately was a big decision for the South Atlanta senior. "I just feel a relief about it," Favors (34) said. "I'm happy to get it over with so I don't have nothing else to think about."

Favors (right) says he's enjoyed this season more than his others. South Atlanta went on to win the boys' AAA state championship. "It's been easy so far, not many distractions," Favors said. "It wasn't like last year when everybody was coming up asking about colleges because I narrowed my list so everybody knew."

The state's No. 1 recruit, South Atlanta High School's Derrick Favors, was on hand for Wednesday's game. Favors committed to the Yellow Jackets before the game.

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Derrick Favors, a 6-foot-9 forward from South Atlanta High, has won two national player awards and is the No. 1 college prospect in the nation. And for the first time, he's Mr. Georgia Basketball. Click through the photos from Jan. 14, the night that Favors announced he would attend Georgia Tech in the fall.

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