GHSA basketball state championships coming to Atlanta

GHSA basketball state championships coming to Atlanta

By Robert Alfonso Jr.

Atlanta, GA – For the next two years, the Georgia High School Association basketball state championships are moving to Atlanta.

The boys and girls state championships will be played at Georgia State University‘s Convention Center for the next two years, which seats 8,000 spectators. This was first reported on by Georgia Public Broadcasting sports network. The state basketball playoff games have been played at the Macon Coliseum, which is part of the Macon Centerplex.

Georgia State has hosted the GHSA boys and girls basketball semifinal state playoffs when it first opened in 2022. Moving the games to the downtown Atlanta campus this season is due to a new arena being built in Macon, which will replace the longtime but much needed renovation of the Coliseum.

The new construction would take up the parking lot, at the Centerplex, prompting GHSA to change the venue. This move is temporary as ground is scheduled to break this coming summer with eyes of opening up the new arena in 2028.

GHSA Executive Director Dr. Tim Scott said the decision reflects the association’s commitment to providing student-athletes with the best championship experience possible.

”We always look for the best facilities available for our student-athletes,” said Scott in a statement. “With Macon currently undergoing construction for its new facility, we felt this was the right time to make the move. We chose Georgia State because we’ve had tremendous success working with them over there past several years as the host our basketball semifinal games. We know they will provide a first-class championship experience.”

The GHSA has longstanding partnership with the Macon Coliseum, since 1973, will remain.

”We are grateful for our time in Macon and appreciate the community’s support of the GHSA Basketball State Championships over the years,” Scott added. “We look forward to the progress in Macon and reevaluating our future championship plans after the next two seasons.”

The GHSA has hosted the championship games away from the Coliseum a few times. Games were played at Georgia Tech’s McCamish and Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum in 2017. It continued in 2018 spliting the championship games between Macon and McCamish Pavilion, with four classifications at each venue. Since then, all the GHSA basketball state championship games have been played exclusively at the Macon Coliseum/Centerplex. This is eight consecutive years with all GHSA basketball state championship games held in Macon.

There has been a debate the last few years about playing the games in Macon. Many complained about the venue and small crowds during some title games. Those fans, who lived North of Macon, wanted the games moved to the Atlanta area because of its location and the newer facility. Others in Middle Georgia and below were pleased with its location because of its history and because everything always ends up in Atlanta. These championship games allowed them to feel represented as a community.

Since 1922 to the present, there have been 105 years of boys champions. There are 82 years of girls champions since the start in 1945.