James Forrest

James Curtnyle Forrest (born August 13, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. High school career He was born in Charleston, South Carolina but he then moved to Atlanta, Georgia with his family and attended Southside High School (now Maynard H. Jackson) there. He established himself as one of the top recruits of the state of Georgia and as a sophomore he was named Mr. Georgia Basketball; he won the award again the following year, having been part of the Southside team that won the state championship in 1990, winning the final game against Columbia with a final record of 31–2. In his senior year at Southside High he averaged 30.5 points and 11.4 rebounds, and scored 55 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a playoff semifinals game against Dougherty on March 8, 1991 during the state championship. He was also a two-time Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year (1990 and 1991). He was ranked among the top 10 seniors in the nation by most scouting reports. During his high school career he scored more than 2,000 points; scout Bob Gibbons compared Forrest to Larry Johnson due to similarities in size, scoring ability and physical strength. In 1991 he was also named in the Parade All-America First Team and was a McDonald's All-American. In the McDonald's All-American Game of 1991 he was the top scorer of the East team and the second highest scorer of the game (only Chris Webber had more points, with 28), and also added 10 rebounds. In March 1991 Forrest announced his commitment to play for Georgia Tech. College career Forrest and point guard Travis Best were considered the top two freshmen of the 1991–92 Georgia Tech team that had lost its star player, Kenny Anderson, who decided to declare for the 1991 NBA draft. They both started in the team along with Jon Barry, Malcolm Mackey and Matt Geiger. Forrest scored 16 points in his debut on November 20, 1991 against James Madison. Forrest had a very good season, being the third top scorer (13.3) and the third best rebounder (6.4) in the team. While he mainly played as power forward and center during his high school career, the presence of Mackey made him move to the small forward position. Forrest's freshman season is also remembered for one of the most iconic buzzer beaters in the history of the NCAA Tournament: during the Midwest Regional second-round game against USC, Georgia Tech was losing 78–76.