10 Recruiting Classes to Watch

It's a widely-held belief that elite high school basketball players are entering the college ranks more prepared to play than ever due to the nationalization of the sport and the AAU circuit.

Of this year's Final Four teams, only Villanova did not get significant contributions from at least one freshman. National champion North Carolina's rotation included rookie forwards Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller. Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans also used a pair of frosh on the frontline in Delvon Roe and Draymond Green. Connecticut point guard Kemba Walker was pivotal with 23 points in the Huskies' victory over Missouri to reach the Final Four.

While high school seniors have until May 20 to make their college choice official, the picture is beginning to clear up, giving us a glimpse of which programs will rely on star-studded recruiting classes the most next season.

North Carolina
Incoming: F John Henson, G Leslie McDonald, G Dexter Strickland, F David Wear, F Travis Wear

Don’t feel bad for the Tar Heels, now or ever, if they lose Ty Lawson and/or Wayne Ellington. One of college basketball’s great programs, North Carolina reloads every year and Roy Williams continues to show why he is one of the best recruiters in the business.

Big man John Henson will develop under his tutelage. Twin brothers Travis and David Wear of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) will bring tremendous court presence, and a track record of winning. The highest ceiling of the group may belong to Dexter Strickland. The springy guard from St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) never met a big game he didn’t like; he rises to the occasion and can impose his will on teams. This class, combined with the Tar Heels’ current freshmen, will ensure that North Carolina does not slip too far from its perch as the nation’s best team.
Georgia Tech
Incoming: F Derrick Favors, F Kammeon Holsey, F Brian Oliver, G Glen Rice Jr., G Mfon Udofia

Paul Hewitt did an excellent job of landing some top in-state talent, led by South Atlanta star Derrick Favors. The result is one of the country’s best overall classes.

Favors is the key. He will only be on campus one season, but the MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year has the finesse and the basketball understanding that very few big men his age possess.

Mfon Udofia is highly regarded at point guard, and Glen Rice Jr. certainly has the bloodlines to be a major scorer. Georgia Tech fans will fully expect Tech to compete with the cream of the crop in the ACC with this group of newcomers.

Kentucky
Incoming: F DeMarcus Cousins, G Jon Hood, C Daniel Orton

Looking at how well John Calipari recruited at Memphis, it’s frightening to consider how well he can do now that he can pitch the history and tradition of Kentucky basketball. Calipari managed to retain both Jon Hood and Daniel Orton, who both committed to Kentucky during Billy Gillespie’s tenure. He then swayed DeMarcus Cousins to join him at Lexington.

The biggest coup could be yet to come. If Calipari lands superstar point guard John Wall, he will be back in the Final Four sooner rather than later. Expect Kentucky to once again become an en vogue selection for many of the nation’s top recruits.

Villanova
Incoming: F Isaiah Armwood, G Dominic Cheek, G Maalik Wayns, F Mouphtaou Yarou

Fresh off a Final Four appearance, Villanova is primed to take it to the next level with this balanced and talented recruiting class. If Dom Cheek and Maalik Wayns play to their potential, both will be very good in the Big East. Cheek is very athletic and will only get stronger. Wayns is extremely quick and explosive. Armwood will help down low, but Yarou has a chance to be dominant, especially on defense.

Keeping some of this Wildcat hysteria in perspective, Armwood, Cheek and Wayns all suffered through injuries in high school. Yarou should develop nicely, but needs refine his post moves.

Louisville
Incoming: F Rakeem Buckles, G Mike Marra, G Peyton Siva, F Stephan Van Treese

Peyton Siva should thrive in Louisville’s up-tempo style. He can distribute and score the ball with equal effectiveness. Louisville fans will find out what Seattle high school basketball fans have known for years: Siva is for real. Expect to see him next season.

In the post, Buckles has developed nicely throughout his high school career. Stephan Van Treese backed up Greg Oden at Lawrence North in Indianapolis. He’s got a powerful frame, and will help Samardo Samuels down low. Pitino has already billed Marra as the best shooter he has ever seen.

Texas
Incoming: G Avery Bradley, F Jordan Hamilton, F Shawn Williams

Another strong recruiting class for the Longhorns. Rick Barnes stayed in-state for Duncanville’s Shawn Williams, and headed west to nab Avery Bradley, a Washington native, and Jordan Hamilton from Compton, Calif.

Bradley is the gem of the trio. He established himself as arguably the country’s top shooting guard, leading Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) to an undefeated season. Barnes may use him at point guard, however. The thought of him in the same line up as Hamilton, another pure scorer, is scary. Williams played well for Duncanville, but his team had a disappointing season overall. He’ll have something to prove when he sets foot in Austin.

Duke
Incoming: F Ryan Kelly, F Mason Plumlee

Kelly and Plumlee are both fine players, but it remains to be seen how they will address Duke’s needs. They are big men more comfortable facing the basket, and neither has a build that is conducive to banging down low in the ACC, at least for right now.

If, however, they can each contribute in their own way—Plumlee with rebounding and passing, Kelly with some offensive production—it will take pressure off of Duke’s perimeter players and add a much needed second dimension to the Blue Devils’ attack. Coach K whiffed on landing Kenny Boynton and will likely miss out on bringing in John Wall. Either would have made this a top class. The Blue Devils are looking for the team to re-establish the dominance it enjoyed in the early part of the decade. This recruiting class likely will not do that.

USC
Incoming: F Noel Johnson, F Derrick Williams

Tim Floyd’s decision to stay at USC might have had something to do with the fact that he may have a monster recruiting class in the works. Floyd already has John Hancocks from Noel Johnson and Derrick Williams. Johnson, from Georgia, is an explosive wing player, while Williams will eat up space down low.

The Trojans are also waiting from good news from both forward Renardo Sidney and guard Lamont Jones. Sidney, from Fairfax High School (Los Angeles, Calif.), committed to USC earlier this year, but still needs to qualify academically. “Momo” Jones continued to improve this season, as he ran the show for Steve Smith’s Oak Hill Academy Warriors. He is a tough combo guard whose New York City mentality could add a nice dynamic to the Trojans, if choose to sign with them.

Oklahoma
Incoming: C Andrew Fitzgerald, F Keith “Tiny” Gallon, F Kyle Hardrick, G Tommy Mason-Griffin, G Steven Pledger

Having Blake Griffin on your team can certainly do wonders for recruiting post players. The Sooners scored several key big men in this year’s recruiting class, and the attention that Blake Griffin received is probably a major reason why. Leading the way is Keith “Tiny” Gallon, a skilled big man from Oak Hill Academy who is originally from the Houston. He has improved dramatically in his time at Oak Hill, both in his physical conditioning and his post play. He is ready to play immediately.

Andrew Fitzgerald and Kyle Hardrick could also contribute eventually. Tommy Mason-Griffin is another recruit that Jeff Capel snatched from Texas. He could develop into a great point guard for Oklahoma. Don’t expect Oklahoma to fall off too much next season. They will definitely be a factor in the Big 12 once again.

Kansas
Incoming: G Elijah Johnson, F Thomas Robinson

With the announcements by Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich that they will return to school next fall, the pressure on Bill Self to bring in another top notch class has relaxed—just a bit.

He still has stellar point guard Elijah Johnson on board for 2009, as well as power forward Thomas Robinson, a late bloomer who could really develop in the time he spends in Lawrence. However, Self still has some fish to fry. At this point, it’s likely that he lands either Lance Stephenson or Xavier Henry. It’s even possible that he lands both of them. That would make Kansas as dangerous as any team in the country next season.