GHS junior lands on 3 all-state lists
The days of Jackson McVey flying under the radar are long gone.
The 7’ 0” Gilmer High School center is set to take the basketball court for his junior campaign, and he spent the offseason honing his game while attracting the attention of college coaches and media outlets.
Cam Rickers of PrepHoops.com named McVey to his Class 3A preseason all-state team, as did SandysSpiel.com. The latter also selected McVey to its All-North Georgia squad.
PrepHoops has McVey ranked as the No. 1 center in Georgia for the class of 2025, while 247Sports.com has him as the No. 22 center in the nation. ESPN has also ranked McVey as the No. 8 overall player in Georgia for the class of 2025.
McVey’s preseason accolades come after a sophomore season where he was an all-region and all-state performer. He averaged 19.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.52 blocks per game in the regular season and helped the Bobcats reach the state tournament for the second consecutive year.
Since the conclusion of last season, McVey has remained on the court. He attended multiple invitation only camps where he was able to sharpen his skills while playing in front of college coaches.
His AAU team is the Georgia Stars, and they played in tournaments in Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas before the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League’s Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. While he typically plays with the 16-year-old team, he bumped up an age group for the tournament.
At the event, McVey outscored Caleb Wilson, who is ESPN’s No. 2 ranked player in the nation for the class of 2025. There were plenty of college coaches and recruiters in attendance to witness the matchup.
When it comes to his college recruitment, McVey has made visits to Western Carolina University, Appalachian State University and Vanderbilt University during the offseason. Clemson, Virginia Tech and Southern Methodist University have also expressed interest, and coaches from Furman University (S.C.), Belmont University (Tenn.) and Western Kentucky have made trips to Ellijay to see McVey work out.
“This has been eye-opening for us from the standpoint that it’s a different world than it was 30 years ago, and the process is different,” said Jackson’s dad Patrick McVey, who along with wife Susan, played college basketball.
“The exposure is different, and you almost have to market what you do in a way to get social media attention. The visiting and relationships with coaches you see on the recruiting trail is pretty much the same.”
Thus far, McVey has received scholarship offers from Western Carolina and Kennesaw State University.
McVey does not have a current favorite, but Kennesaw State was the first to offer, and the Owls have been in regular contact, according to Patrick, who added, “It’s been a good experience so far, and we’re just getting started. I believe after we have another year of doing this, we should know where he’s going.”
GHS opens the season Nov. 28 at Murray County.