Region: 7-AAAAAA
Coach: Jesse McMillan
2024-25 record: 19-12, Elite Eight Class AAAAAA State Playoffs
Returning regulars:
G A.J. Gillespie, Sr.
G Jayden McGraw, Sr.
F Josh Smith Jr., Jr.
Others to watch:
G Jamian Robinson, Sr.
G Cayden Robinson, Sr.
Outlook:
Graduating seniors and a pair of talented members of last year’s Norcross team transferring away has the Blue Devils' preseason outlook marred with uncertainty, but head coach Jesse McMillan still expects his new-look team to uphold the program’s standards.
From last season’s Elite Eight squad, Norcross graduated contributors Thomas McBride, E’Monte Lee and Miles Clanton, while Ole Miss commit Jaron Saulsberry transferred to Wheeler and five-star junior guard Nasir Anderson left for Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We always want to have a pretty high standard for where we set our initial expectations,” McMillan said. “I’m excited to get on the floor with this team because we have a lot of new faces and a lot that are new to the program, new to different roles. They’ve attacked the preseason with a lot of intensity and passion. I’m not quite sure what that rotation is going to look like yet. We have a lot of kids that have the opportunity to show themselves in practices, so I’m excited to get going with them and see how that plays out individually.”
The Blue Devils will lean heavily on junior forward Josh Smith Jr. — the son of former Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Sr. — and senior guard A.J. Gillespie to lead another state playoff run. Along with senior Jayden McGraw’s leadership, McMillan hopes his three core returners can take command of the new locker room.
“These three guys are the ones that return the bulk of our production in minutes last year,” McMillan said of Smith, Gillespie and McGraw. “A.J. and Jayden are our two seniors, so the expectation for them is to set the standard for the young guys. Josh was a kid that had a great year for us last year. His role changed as we went along through the season. We’re leaning on him because he’s been through the wars. AJ’s been through the wars. They understand what it’s like to go on to the road in the region. They understand what it’s like to wear Norcross on their chest. There’s a lot of responsibility that they have in regards to helping the younger guys catch up really quickly.”
With a six-time state champion pedigree, Norcross has earned a nationwide reputation as a team to avoid in the non-region schedule. While the Blue Devils enjoy having the respect of the outside, it can make it challenging to schedule high-level pre-region games to prepare for January and on.
“We don’t have the ability to not play a tough non-conference,” McMillan said. “When we make calls to try to build our schedule, we get told no a lot, because people don't want to play us. But we do host a good amount of showcases here. We have two out-of-state teams (Windermere, Fla. and Spain Park, Ala.) that are coming to play at Christmas that are state and nationally ranked. So from a non-conference standpoint, you’re looking for a lot of different ... Click here to read full article
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