The Grayson Rams’ boys basketball team, winners of last year’s highest classification and ranked No. 1 in Class 6A this season, is in position for consecutive state championships.
That’s despite graduating five of the team’s seven all-region seniors. The Rams have reloaded, in part through transfers. Though they had three players transfer out, five transferred in.
The newcomers include junior Caleb Holt, a 6-foot-5 guard from Alabama who is the No. 3 overall junior prospect in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Another addition was guard K.J. Garris, the AJC’s 2024 Class A Division I player of the year. Garris led Mount Vernon to a state championship last season.
“Player movement is not going anywhere,” Rams coach Geoffrey Pierce said. “We’ve lost high-level players to prep schools, Overtime Elite, and you’ll have kids move in, too. I just try to focus on who’s here and try to get better every day. … There’s so many games now compared to when I got into coaching. The season ends in March, and in May and June they’re back at it, competing in camps, and that takes you to October. It’s a year-round game, and with that comes player movement.”
Grayson’s most famous player, Georgia signee Jacob Wilkins, also started his high school career elsewhere, at Parkview. He led Grayson to its first state championship last winter.
Grayson’s transfer situation is not unique among the state’s top-ranked teams. In fact, it’s almost a requirement nowadays for boys teams to have a transfer if they’re serious about winning state championships.
Of the eight No. 1-ranked boys teams, only smaller schools Carver-Columbus and Putnam County do not have a prominent transfer player.
In Class 5A, Milton gained six transfers while losing one, according to Sandy’s Spiel, a Georgia basketball website created by Kyle Sandy, who has kept a list of significant transfers for the past 10 seasons.
Pace Academy of Class 4A lost one and gained one. Class 3A’s Cedar Grove lost three and gained four. Class A Division II Calhoun County gained one. Class 3A-A private’s Holy Innocents' gained one.
Of all programs on Sandy’s list, Norcross was the most active with seven players coming in and five players going out.
Georgia’s best girls teams also profit from transfers, though not as frequently as the boys. But three first- or second-team all-state girls transferred this season. They are Georgia signee Jocelyn Faison of New Manchester to Hughes, Memphis signee Jah’Naesia Spiers from Southwest DeKalb to Norcross and ESPN top-50 junior prospect Gabby Minus from Veterans to Hebron Christian.
All-state boys players transferring, in addition to Garris, were Ole Miss signee Tylis Jordan from Shiloh to Wheeler and Connor Teasley of Peachtree Ridge to Norcross.
In high school sports, mentioning the word “transfer” can trigger an uneasy feeling, and several coaches declined to be interviewed for this story.
That’s perhaps in part because the transfer trend leads to accusations of illegal recruiting. The accusations are common but rarely proved.
GHSA rules say that coaches and other school officials cannot unduly influence transfer students to change schools. The GHSA’s rules, stricter than in most states, also require that transferring students move into their new schools’ district with their full family units.
Transfers have become a larger part of how the game of basketball is evolving, along with AAU ball and academies such Elite Overtime in Atlanta, which brings in high school-aged talent from all over the world and has secured some of Georgia’s top players since its 2021 founding.
The AJC reported earlier this year that 10 former Georgia high school players ranked as top-250 national recruits had transferred to nontraditional Georgia high schools or outfits such as Overtime Elite to get more exposure or to play better competition.
At the college level, the transfer portal and NIL deals have created a Wild West. Roster assimilation at all levels has become more fluent, a trend unlikely to reverse.
“The transfer market is alive and well,” Kyle Sandy said. “It is robust each and every year. I think it will only continue to stay steady and even uptick slightly each year. I don’t foresee it slowing down due to the trickle effect of transfers moving in and forcing others out.”
Longtime analyst Eric Bossi, the national basketball director for 247Sports, said it’s possible the stigma of transferring is fading.
“Transferring used to be taboo, kind of like something was wrong with the player,” he said. “But, No. 1, transferring has become more of a thing, and, No. 2, there is definitely less of a stigma attached. I’ve been doing this 25 years, and in the early days, we thought if there was a transfer, there was a problem with grades or discipline. Now, they can transfer for myriads of reasons. There’s almost an expectation that a good player will transfer, especially if they play for the local school. High school coaches live in fear that one of their players will leave for a national or prep academy.”
Sandy agreed there’s less stigma today. He said most coaches don’t mind helping him complete his annual transfer list.
“A reason some kids transfer is for more exposure, so it wouldn’t make sense to be bashful about revealing transfers when the goal of the list to help college coaches, media members and fans of the sport track where they can watch the top talent in the state play for the upcoming season,” he said. “I think with how prevalent transfers are now, it’s just commonplace and not quite as taboo as maybe it was when I started following the movement in 2015. Most coaches understand by now that they may get some transfers but also might lose some too. That’s just the nature of the beast.”
Pierce noted that parents often move because of their children’s interests that go beyond sports, but with the fan interest and revenue generated by athletes, it’s their moves that will get the scrutiny.
“Sports is no different than anything else,” Pierce said. “Parents are going to be willing to move to put their kids in an advantageous situation. A friend of mine switched schools for its dual immersion program so that his kid could learn a second language. Some schools have better band programs. Player transfers in sports are louder, but parents are going to do what they need to put their kids in a successful environment.”
Getting better competition is one reason players cite for transferring. Grayson, like most of Georgia’s top teams, plays national competition. The Rams will be traveling to Springfield, Missouri, for a game Saturday against a California opponent. Most losses inflicted by Georgia’s No. 1-ranked teams have been against out-of-state opponents or each other.
Winning games obviously is another key to attracting transfer talent.
“Even before Caleb (Holt) got here, the expectation has always been a region championship and to compete for a state title,” Pierce said. “That won’t change. Dealing with talented kids comes with a different set of circumstances and expectations, so you have to get the kids to buy into the system.”
Both Pierce and Bossi also have valid arguments for a player staying in place.
“I don’t think kids need to transfer to be more successful,” Bossi said. “Personally, I think that’s a false notion, because there’s so many ways to be discovered now with spring and summer camps. If kids are talented, they’re going to be found. High-level players who put in the work are found no matter what, so transferring is not something you ever had to do.”
Said Pierce, “You’re playing for your future, but at the same time, an incoming freshman might have the potential to be good but can’t beat out the sophomore and the junior. Not transferring can prepare that freshman for college. Here, he will learn how to compete for minutes, whereas another player might not be able or willing to do that because they didn’t in high school. That’s just one way we prepare our kids for college.”
