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| Wednesday, February 7 |
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| Schools get early jump on recruiting needs By David Benezra and Mark Mayemura Special to ESPN.com | |||
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While we are not ranking the classes below, among conferences it is apparent that the Pac-10 and the ACC are the big winners in the early period.
Stanford gets an award for doing the best job of matching specific needs with fit. Memphis head coach John Calipari gets the "Moving Uptown" award for making Memphis instantly attractive and breaking it out into a national recruiting force. Florida receives the award for maintaining high-profile recruiting standards as the Gators continue to rake in the upper crust names.
This is still an unofficial list as it includes verbal commitments along with Letter Of Intent signees. The teams with the best recruiting classes are broken up into sub groups and are listed alphabetically in each group.
Can take a siesta (These schools got a great group of players that will really help them and, or a great impact player) Alabama: The Crimson Tide has a great backcourt coming in. Led by 6-foot point guard Maurice Williams who can really score. The 6-3 Ernest Shelton is also no slacker in that department. Arizona: Arizona did not get Aaron Miles, but they did get 5-9 point guard Will Bynum, a Top 100 player who is no booby prize. The 6-11 Rick Rickert is wavering on his commitment, while he ponders staying home and playing for Minnesota, and has not yet signed an LOI with the Wildcats, but Arizona did get 6-8 strongman Dennis Latimore and 6-2 shooter Salim Stoudamire. California: The Big Kahuna, 6-9 wing forward Julian Sensley a.k.a., "The Jewel," will push the young Bears into the upper tier of the Pac 10. The 6-10 Jamal Sampson, a post player, a talented big man who could develop into a dominating force. Florida: Kwame Brown (6-9) will bring the Gators a player who can score inside and outside. David Lee (6-7) is a mad dunker and they out-dueled North Carolina for 6-7 athlete James White. Georgetown: This Harvey (as in 6-9 Thomas) ain't no rabbit. Thomas will elevate the program. Kansas: Point guard Aaron Miles (6-foot) has a 60,000-mile or 4-year warranty to run the offense, whichever comes first. Keith Langford (6-4), who had verballed early to Mississippi, is a great pick up. Louisville: It only takes one player to turn a program around. Name all the great point guards in recent Louisville history. Cat, er, Cardinal got your tongue? I thought so. Carlos Hurt will stop the pain, as Cards get wisdom after all these years. Memphis: Does John Calipari score when he gets in the red zone or what? The nation's top player, 6-2 Dajuan Wagner (if he doesn't come out for the draft), a dominating player, will impact big as a frosh. Michigan State: Kelvin Torbert (6-4) may be the best athlete in the class. He looks like he's jumping off a mini-tramp, he gets so much air. Missouri: Quin Snyder used to be at Duke so he knows how to shop. He looked in the key and didn't see any bigs, so he got some. Robert Whaley (6-8) brings some Michigan muscle to Columbia. Najeeb Echols (6-6) is a versatile player. The Tigers also have two other frontcourt players in the class. North Carolina: Jawad Williams (6-8) has a chance to be a very nice player. Jackie Manuel (6-6) is an athletic wing and 6-2 Melvin Scott can shoot. North Carolina State: Julius Hodge, a 6-6 perimeter player, has a chance to be a special player. Like Cal with Sensley, the Wolfpack program should realize a big boost from his impact. Underrated 6-7 combo forward Levi Watkins and 6-8 athlete Josh Powell should both develop into solid starters. Stanford: Josh Childress (6-6) is the type of athlete that Stanford always craves. Chris Hernandez (6-2) is a Stanford point guard; savvy, tough, scrappy, solid, exceptionally competitive. Robert Little (6-10) is still learning, but he knows what he is; a big-bodied NBA butt post player who will take care of business inside. UCLA: No true point guard in this class, but 6-5 athlete Cedric Bozeman will do his best. Hugely underrated 6-7 multi-position player Dijon Thompson has the skills and the temperament to step in and play well as a frosh. Bruins also took two frontline players who could develop over time. Virginia: The Cavaliers are one big man away from Top 10 land and they may get him in the spring. In the meantime they will have to settle for lots of frontline depth and perhaps the nation's greatest stable of guards. Combo guard Keith Jennifer (6-2) brings savvy and toughness while 6-2 combo guard Jermaine Harper will be the quickest guard in the program as Pete Gillen keeps the pilot light lit and turns the heat up. West Virginia: West Virginia? Yes, although this one is shaky. Jonathon Hargett (5-10) is a uniquely talented guard. He may not qualify and if that's the case, may try the NBA. But, we're not concerned yet with who's gonna' make it. Deserve at least a power nap DePaul: Tallahassee may be warmer than Chicago weather-wise, but head coach Pat Kennedy can really turn the heat on in the Windy City when it comes to recruiting. Quemont Greer and Kenny Adeleke are both 6-7 and score well on the athletic test, as does 6-4 Levar Seals. For a change of pace they also have 6-8 juco transfer Sam Hoskins coming in. Southern California: The way things are going, pretty soon USC will be known as a basketball school instead of a football school. The 6-11 skilled post player Rory O'Neil and 6-2 bulldog Errick Craven will be the future leaders of this rising program. One hit wonders Arizona State: Rob Evans has assembled a lot of young talent and now needs a point guard to direct it. Jason Braxton (6-2) may be the best defensive point guard in the class and is a strong penetrator. Boston College: Eagles get 6-3 Jermaine Watson due to proximity and the fact that most schools don't think he can shoot and don't know what he is. We'll tell you what he is: He's a player. Duke: The 6-3 combo Daniel Ewing is a smooth offensive player who should be a nice fit. The Billy Raftery group (Impressive) Auburn: The 6-8 Marco Killingsworth will live up to his name. Baylor: Good guard tandem, plus a developing player with upside in 6-8 Lawrence Roberts adds up to a good class for the Bliss & Ash roadshow. Clemson: Lost out on 7-foot prospect Marcus Campbell, but do have a good trio of players that will all improve the program. Georgia Tech: New coach Paul Hewitt needed to get a lot of bang for his buck with the soon-to-be-shortlived 5/8 rule and maxed out with five good role players. Hofstra: Head coach Jay Wright will not be living in Hempstead too much longer. Wright always seems to reach out and take a player he shouldn't be able to get. This year it's 6-3 Chris McCrae. Wendell Gibson is much-maligned as a non-athletic undersized player without a position. Of course, he also happens to be one of the few players in the class who knows how to play in the low post. Go figure. Kentucky: The 'Cats have lacked shooting. The 6-3 Rashaad Carruth will take care of that, while adding another ballhandler -- another recent "Cat-tastrophe." Long Beach State: The 49ers are usually heavy into the juco mix, but they get two high school players who will be starters, with 6-5 Anthony Davis, another highly underrated player, having the ability to be their leading scorer once he gets his feet wet. LSU: Tigers get two juco forwards. It usually takes a year for most jucos to figure it out, but they will certainly get an early look to do so. Marquette: Smartest point guard in class, 6-0 Travis Diener, comes to play for a savvy young coach in Tom Crean. Sounds like a match made in Hollywood, but it will be made in Milwaukee. It also doesn't hurt to have athletic transfer Marshall Williams eligible next year. Ohio State: Don't let Jim O'Brien and staff fool you. "Obie" loves guards. The 6-foot point guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham is a great fit. SMU: Four players, all with starting potential will keep SMU where they are. Syracuse: The jury is out on the two frontline recruits, but 6-1 point guard Billy Edelin can go. More intriguing is 6-8 Hakeem Warrick. Like most Eastern bigs, he can't shoot a lick right now, but he can handle, burn and slash. He is a non-shooting three who is still growing and could develop into a star. Just don't expect that for about two years. Can you smell UPSIDE? Mark Mayemura and David Benezra cover the national college basketball recruiting scene, both high school and junior college recruiting, at their Recruiting USA (www.recruitingusa.com) website. Call (818)783-2244 for subscription information. | |
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