One of the best to ever suit up for Gilmer High has played his final basketball game with the Bobcats.
Ellijay’s Jackson McVey filed his transfer paperwork with GHS and is set to play his senior season with Overtime Elite (OTE), which is an Atlanta-based league for 16-20-year-olds.
“This was the hardest decision of my life. Nothing pains me more than that I can’t play with my guys this year,” said McVey, who is 7’ and weighs 230 pounds. “It was a super-tough decision. The landscape of basketball going into college, and the transition I’ll have to make, if that wasn’t such a massive change nowadays, I would still be playing with them (Bobcats).
“I feel like going to OTE was a decision I had to make to prepare me for my first year of college and being a young adult. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I love playing with my guys, and I’m glad we were able to win a region championship last year. That kind of made this decision a little easier to swallow.”
The league consists of eight teams who play all of their games at the OTE Arena, which is just north of Georgia Tech. The 17-game season is followed by four rounds of playoffs to determine the league champion. OTE players live in nearby apartments and receive daily academic instruction. Players have a state-of-the-art training facility at their disposal, as well as on-site sports psychologists and support staff.
Because McVey is attending OTE as a scholarship player, he will maintain his college eligibility.
“Athletes are programmed into coursework based on their Personalized Learning Plans that track toward high school graduation at the end of their senior year,” OTE states. “They will take the required courses to receive a Cognia certified high school diploma and will have the opportunity to select electives based on their interests and passion.
“Athletes will be placed in the appropriate courses (based on previous coursework and high school transcripts) to ensure they are on track to graduate with a fully accredited high school diploma at the end of their senior year.”
OTE is similar to the Florida-based IMG Academy. IMG recruits and trains elite athletes across all sports in an academic setting. OTE, however, just caters to basketball.
“I’m looking forward to developing my game every day and playing against high-level guys and high-major (college-bound) guys and getting used to that fast-paced style of basketball I’ll encounter in college,” McVey said. “Hopefully, I can develop my game and my body, strength and my mindset enough to prepare myself for four strong years of college and possibly something beyond.”
Jackson’s parents, Patrick and Susan McVey, also offered their insight on making the move to OTE.
“They are providing that level of preparedness for Jackson to be able to play day one at the high-major college level,” noted Patrick. “We felt like if he stayed with the same routine he has here, he wasn’t getting pushed enough. We’re afraid he would be a redshirt if he decided to go to a high-major college. He probably could have played at a mid-major day one, but his goal is to go as high as he can go.”
Susan added, “Jackson will always be a Bobcat. With the transfer portal and colleges able to essentially pull in grown men from other colleges, it’s making it very competitive and difficult for incoming freshmen to transition from being a kid to competing with these men. This is across the board and not just basketball. Kids are going to prep schools or specialty schools in order to prepare.”
McVey will move into his OTE apartment at the end of August to prepare for the season. He currently has scholarship offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Western Kentucky, Western Carolina, Kennesaw State and Coastal Carolina. He is also being actively recruited by Florida, Creighton and Notre Dame and has an official visit scheduled to Stanford.
“He has done great things in Gilmer,” said GHS head coach Jordan Hice. “He’s been a huge part of our offense and defense over the last three years and did a lot for Gilmer basketball over that time. As much as I wish he was still playing with us, I wish him nothing but the best of luck.”
In his final season at GHS, McVey was selected to three first-team Class 3A all-state teams, which included the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also earned a spot on Sandysspiel.com’s Class 3A all-state squad, and received an honorable mention to its all-classification team.
McVey finished his junior season with 26.2 points, 15.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. He shot 65.3 percent from the field, and led Region 7-3A in all four statistical categories. He helped lead the Bobcats to their first region championship, a third straight state playoff appearance and a first-round victory in the state playoffs.
In March, McVey played in the GACA Junior All-Star Game. He scored 18 points, snatched eight rebounds and dished two assists and was voted the game’s MVP.
Through three seasons at GHS, he racked up 1,404 points. He is the program’s career record holder in blocks (168) and rebounds (864). He has also set the seasonal standard for field goal percentage (65.3), field goals made (284), rebounds (407) and blocks (77).
When it comes to game records, McVey is tops in rebounds (30) and field goals (21), blocks (11).
“I’ll always remember the camaraderie and team environment that we had. I feel like we grew so close as a team even down to this last summer playing with them. I felt like our chemistry got better and better over the years. I already know they’ll accomplish a lot just based on the chemistry they have. I just love the team-building aspect of it, and it really felt like a family by the end of my time there.”