We Speak High School Basketball
After Landrew, Wheeler Reloads: Kevin Savage III Leads the Three-Peat Chase
Two straight titles. Eleven state championships. And now the hardest question in Georgia basketball: who runs Wheeler next?
The Wildcats finished 27-6 last season and beat Pebblebrook 62-52 in Macon for their second straight Class 6A crown — the program’s 11th state title and its fifth in seven years under head coach Larry Thompson, closing the year ranked No. 11 in the nation. The face of that run, senior guard Colben Landrew, poured in 29 points and 12 rebounds in the final on his way to Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year and MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year honors before signing with UConn. Clemson signee Amare James is gone too.
The answer at point guard, though, was already on the roster. Kevin Savage III, a 5-11 floor general in the class of 2027, ran the point for the championship team alongside Landrew — and in July he committed to Purdue, choosing the Boilermakers over Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech and UCLA. He opens the new season as a Preseason First Team All-State pick in the new Class 7A, with junior Shamar Madden beside him as a Third Team pick.
Wheeler’s semifinal last March was a 56-52 street fight with McEachern. The names change in Marietta. The target on their backs doesn’t.
We Speak High School Basketball
Remember These Names: E’zariyah Clark and Amira White Headline Florida’s 2030 Class in Tampa
They haven’t played a minute of high school basketball yet. In Tampa, people are already learning their names.
E’zariyah Clark arrives at Tampa Bay Tech as a 5-11 forward and combo guard in the class of 2030, playing club ball for HER Elite. Prep Girls Hoops’ evaluation reads like a varsity scouting report: a midrange game, range out to the deep ball, and rim protection built on length and timing — a freshman who “should be a key contributor for TBT alongside a talented group of guards.”
Across town, Amira White gives Plant a 6-0 power forward from the same 2030 class, playing for MBJ Elite. Prep Girls Hoops calls her “a major addition for Plant as the program looks to reestablish itself among the top teams in Tampa and across the state,” pointing to a back-to-the-basket game with an outside shot to match.
Florida’s 2030 class, as Prep Girls Hoops frames it, is a group whose size and length make them names to watch from day one. Two of the biggest are starting their careers in Tampa gyms this winter. Remember where you heard them first.
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