We are a week away from the largest June varsity boys basketball tournament in the Peach State. The big event that takes place opening weekend features 54 varsity teams from every corner of Georgia, and will make their way to McDonough High School for what promises to be one of the most talked about June events in 2025. Remember to buy your copy of the Georgia Basketball Yearbook heading into the weekend to read about all these great teams and players! The link to purchase your yearbook can be found HERE.
Read below to see a preview of each team participating in this year’s June Jam, and a player or two of note heading into the weekend….
Groups E-H (June 6-7):
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Central Carrollton – There’s a new but familiar face leading the Lions now. Don Bray comes over from across town and will now be roaming the sidelines at Central. The Lions won the region last year, and return 2026 6’3 G/W Chace North who was the region player of the year this past year. North does a fantastic job of going exactly where his name indicates, North. He is a fantastic slasher, gets downhill quickly, and has a unique ability to maneuver his body in midair back to his right side, even while going left. A high energy guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder, North is worth a peek given his upside and ability.
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Columbia – The Eagles return a lot of last year’s squad who achieved a lot of success. Columbia is one of those programs who are always going to be good, and always going to be young. 2026 6’7 W/F Zayd Muhammad is a returning first team all region selection from a year ago and has some really unique talents for a guy with his length. Muhammad can really stroke it from outside, crashes the offensive boards really well, and can guard multiple positions. 2027 6’5 F Jace Smith is a youngster of note for the Eagles who made all region last year as a sophomore. Smith has soft hands, a nose for the ball, and does a great job at simply extending possessions and giving his team a chance. A guy who plays with some good smarts and toughness, Smith is an intriguing guy to pay attention to.
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Eagles Landing – The Eagles graduated six seniors this past year and return only two players who averaged more than five points a game from a year ago. 2026 6’6 F Kyree Ware will be a prospect of note for Eagles Landing heading into the weekend. Ware has a physical presence to him and a ton of size making him an interesting watch. In limited action last year, Ware still averaged about five points and five boards a game playing his role well.
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Eastside Covington – The Eagles are going to be an interesting watch this weekend to see how much improvement they have made. This past year they made it all the way to the region championship game and return their two best players from this past season who were both all-region selections. 2026 6’0 G Josiah Johnson was the floor general for Eastside who made good decisions on the regular, helping guide the Eagles to their many successes. Johnson is a really good on ball defender, and does a fantastic job of steering, bothering, and deflecting the ball and turn defense into offense. His ability to get the paint is really efficient, and creates opportunities for all. 2027 6’5 PF Christian Gatewood was another all region selection this past year and returns for Eastside. A big man with soft hands, Gatewood also has good presence inside and does a fantastic job of setting himself up for dishes and easy scores, putting his defender in really tough spots. An efficient finisher at the cup, Gatewood also does a nice job of sneaking in from the weakside to clean up on the boards for second chance opportunities, keeping the Eagles on schedule.
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Heritage – The Patriots played in the hardest region in all of Georgia this past year. The Patriots have also lost a few players to transfers already for next year, and it is unclear who the Patriots will put out on the floor at 10:40 Friday morning when things tip off, but there is one thing for certain, they are going to play fast. Heritage likes to play with some tempo and play at a pace that really makes the game interesting.
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Locust Grove – The Wildcats bring back the majority of their team from a year ago that collectively brings back roughly 80% of their scoring. 2026 6’6 WF Tyler Jones was first team all region this past year, and will be a leading candidate this year for region player of the year honors. Jones is a remarkably gifted athlete. A Swiss army knife on defense, Jones can guard pretty much all five positions. His ability to play above the rim quickly on both ends is of high level stuff, and he can impact the game in so many ways. He will be a player of note in this division when the Wildcats tip off Friday morning at 11:30 AM. There will be double trouble in the backcourt for Grove this weekend when 2026 5’8 Guards Kaeden and Kennedy Union are running the show. The Union twins play really tough, and what they lack in size they make up for with physicality, quick reaction time, and quick releases to their shot that make them a harder guard to sustain over an extended period of time. If the Union’s and Jones are on this weekend, Grove is going to be a very difficult out.
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Marist – Reilly Campbell is at the helm now at Marist, and there is a good amount of returning talent to be excited about. 2026 6’5 SG Jay Walsh was second team all region this past year, and will be one of the top returning seniors in a very competitive region. Walsh can shoot the cover off the ball, and has a fantastic physique that he can do way more to impact the game than just hit shots. He can guard multiple positions on the floor, plays with a ton of moxie, and shoots at all three levels off the dribble at a high clip. 2028 5’10 SG Bobby Harpring is arguably one of the best shooters in all of the 2028 class. Harpring comes from a lineage of good shooting, and it presents as if he will definitely be keeping the status quo. He has had a fantastic spring this travel ball season and will look to light it up this Friday when they hit the floor at 1:10 PM on Friday and take on a very aggressive Columbia team.
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Midtown – There’s a lot be excited about at Midtown as the Knights achieved the most success they’ve had in years this past season, and returns three really big pieces to their team. 2026 6’3 G/W Darrion Hadley was one of the top scorers for the Knights this past season and will be back for his senior campaign. A tough lefty who can score at all three levels, Hadley can really get creative at the rim, finish through contact, and score in a bundle of ways. 2027 6’7 F Galen Roberts was one of the better big men in all of the region this past year and returns. Roberts is a gifted athlete with a good feel for the game who had some breakout performances at times this past season as an underclassman. 2026 6’5 W Lawrence Barreau will make his debut with the Knights. Barreau sat out this past season as a transfer, and has had a solid spring with the Georgia Stars. A strong and powerful Swiss army knife type guy, Barreau can score in a variety of ways, and is a fantastic offensive rebounder as well, sneaking in from the backside often times to extend the play.
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Salem – Denzel McDaniel’s Seminoles made an incredible run last year at the end of the season. They finished fifth in the regular season, but then shocked the world and won their region championship by upsetting South Atlanta and Columbia in a span of three days. They did graduate a lot of players however from this year’s Sweet 16 team and will have a new look Friday when they hit the floor at 11:30 and take on a very talented and experienced Locust Grove squad. 2027 6’4 F Nathan Edwards is a youngster of note for the Seminoles who had a solid season this past year. A guy with some real bounce, Edwards has some notable length as well too and will be called upon regularly for Salem.
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South Atlanta – The Hornets return region player of the year in 2026 6’8 PF Duor Duor. A guy who can handle the ball at his size, Duor also has good athleticism and really notable footwork. A guy who can play with his back to the basket, face up, and attack off the dribble, Duor is a very difficult guard and will hurt you with both skills and size. 2026 6’2 G Bol Deng is another first team all region selection from this past year for South Atlanta. A guard with a good frame, Deng can really get going quickly, and has a fantastic set of go to and countermoves to his game to keep the defense on their toes. Deng can elevate quick and play above the rim.
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Warner Robins – The Demons graduated eight seniors this past year while they don’t return a ton of experience, they’re one of those programs who are always good, always tough, and always have a guy who comes out of the woodwork to help push them into the state tournament. The Demons tip-off on Friday at 11:30 AM against a very experienced Columbia team who will provide a tough challenge to a squad who may be looking for their identity.
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Woodland – The Wolfpack have a pair of bigs on their roster returning that make them an intriguing watch for this weekend. 2026 6’5 Omari Scott was second team all region this past year, and was a social media sensation at times with his ability to leap quickly, play with power above the rim, and impact the game in several different ways with his raw and unique talents. 2027 6’4 W Eric Thornton is another above the rim guy who plays for Woodland that is going to make them a very unique squad to check out this weekend. With Thornton and Scott on the floor together, Woodland will have a pair of guys who can protect the rim, guard just about anybody, and on offense get to the paint at will and score above the rim regularly. Woodland tips off at 10:40 AM on Friday against a very good South Atlanta team that will challenge them.
