Greatest WBB Recruiting ClassES?

[UcMiami]

Answered my own question:

• Candace Parker 6-3 Naperville Central IL -- TENNESSEE
• Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood 5-9 Lynwood CA -- TENNESSEE
• Alexis Hornbuckle 5-11 Charleston South WV -- TENNESSEE
• Alexandria Fuller 6-3 Shelbyville Central TN -- TENNESSEE
• Nkolika Anosike 6-4 Staten Island St. Peters NY -- TENNESSE

 

[bballnut90]

TN has had a few other on paper great classes since that 2004 class but they never gelled into great teams. Pat's decline and then Holly did no favors.

And that 2004 class really benefited from the JC transfer Bobbitt if I remember right - wasn't until she got there that the offense finally clicked. Since she was a 2004 recruit I guess maybe she counts even though she started in JC.

In 2005 the offense was dreadful but they played great defense. The ultimately blew a 16 point lead in the semis which stung immensely, especially considering they had 4 likely rotation players on the bench with injuries, including Candace Parker. The offense was solid in 2006 once Parker came, but it was their defense that wasn't great without and quick guards due to injury. They looked like gang busters to start the year before Wiley-Gatewood left 9 games in, and then Tennessee lost Hornbuckle mid year and had Zolman/Parker playing PG. They had a rough stretch but finished the year strong (beating LSU for SEC tourney champs) and then got an awful draw in the NCAAs--they were the top 2 seed and got placed with #1 overall North Carolina, who thrived on having athletic guards that reaked havoc defensively Tennessee lacked ball handling without Wiley-Gatewood and an injured Hornbuckle.

The class basically traded SWG and Dosty for JUCOs Bobbitt and Auguste, and it was a beneficial payoff. Both Bobbitt/August were great defenders and filled their role well, and the team had much better chemistry the last two years and all 5 starters graduated with two titles in 2008.

 

[UcMiami]

With the portal, free transfer, and the changing expectations I doubt we see 4 or 5 player classes that stay at a school for all four years. Even that 2004 TN class had a defection in Sa'de. The idea that recruits will be happy to wait for their chance to start is becoming rarer.

FYI - Bballnut90 - that 1998 class played important minutes from 1999-2002, just didn't start - Swin 700+,800+,1000+, Asjha 600+, 700-, 1000-, Tamika 500+, 600+, 700+ (Sue started and averaged 1000+.)

The 2013 UNC class of Deshields, Mavunga, Gray, and Washington imploded in 2 years with no free transfers. (Cheating scandal may have had an impact as well.)

Hard to get even three really good players in a class that complement each other rather than competing for the ball and that all grow together rather than plateauing.

 

[Dillon77]

OK' That trip out to do errands unexpectedly turned into getting the computer serviced, so I had more time to ponder than expected. Now that the computer is back, I've used it to check into what would be Notre Dame's best recruiting classes. Unless you consider Skylar Diggins and/or Ruth Riley to be so important to ND, their other classmates were good, not great, so I looked elsewhere.

Here are three incoming classes that caught my eye:

Class of 2010

• Natalie Achonwa
• Kayla McBride
• Ariel Braker

No championships, but a mess of Final Fours. Achonwa and K-Mac are still playing pro ball and Braker is an assistant coach at West Virginia.

Class of 2014

• Hannah Huffman
• Michaela Mabrey
• Jewell Loyd

Once again, a mess of Final Four appearances. Loyd started as a freshman and Michaela started the Mabrey chain that is still ongoing, with she as an assistant coach and sister Dara playing. Loyd has won WNBA, Olympic and World Cup championships. And, Johnson, is the partner of Warrior star Andrew Wiggins.

Class of 2015

• Marina Mabrey
• Arike Ogunbowale
• Ali Patberg
• ...and in Nebraska, a center named Jess Shepard enrolled at Nebraska.

The ND starting point of this one is pretty darn strong: those are three exceptional collegiate careers. Patberg, of course, left for Indiana and just finished up. And Shepard joined her U.S.A. National teammates her junior year to get to the national championship game twice in two years. Mabrey, Ogunbowale and Sheppard are all still in the WNBA. So, I've got to five a nod to this class, for NCAA accomplishments and still developing pro careers.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I don't like to speculate, so let's revisit next summer. Right now, both the SCAR and Stanford recruiting classes of 2019 have one national championship and one final four finish. At this point I'd say SCAR is a better bet to repeat next season than Stanford is, but we'll just have to see how things play out.

And I'll note that, for example, Diana Taurasi's recruiting class got 3 rings at UConn, Bird and Cash's got 2, Candice Parker's got 2, Maya Moore and Tina Charles both got 2, and Stanford's Val Whiting and Molly Goodenbour got 2. So it seems premature to crown any class with a single ring among the best ever. My two cents.

Bird
Cash
Williams
Jones

 

[Coler]

Did CViv even get to coach that class or did she leave for Rutgers before they even reached campus?

 

[Blakeon18]

CViv did get to coach that group...for just one year. When she left for Rutgers some stayed at Iowa...some left.
One who stayed was from Ct....Nadine Domond. I saw her a couple of times in high school...an extremely talented
combo guard. She was the same year as Nykesha Sales...and...imo...just as talented.
If UConn had gotten her I think we win the ring in 1996...we were one guard short. If Nadine had known CViv would vamoose after one year, might she have picked UConn?

Nadine did stay at Iowa all 4 years and had a coming-home game in Storrs...maybe her junior year.

 

[bballnut90]

OK' That trip out to do errands unexpectedly turned into getting the computer serviced, so I had more time to ponder than expected. Now that the computer is back, I've used it to check into what would be Notre Dame's best recruiting classes. Unless you consider Skylar Diggins and/or Ruth Riley to be so important to ND, their other classmates were good, not great, so I looked elsewhere.

Here are three incoming classes that caught my eye:

Class of 2010

• Natalie Achonwa
• Kayla McBride
• Ariel Braker

No championships, but a mess of Final Fours. Achonwa and K-Mac are still playing pro ball and Braker is an assistant coach at West Virginia.

Class of 2014

• Hannah Huffman
• Michaela Mabrey
• Jewell Loyd

Once again, a mess of Final Four appearances. Loyd started as a freshman and Michaela started the Mabrey chain that is still ongoing, with she as an assistant coach and sister Dara playing. Loyd has won WNBA, Olympic and World Cup championships. And, Johnson, is the partner of Warrior star Andrew Wiggins.

Class of 2015

• Marina Mabrey
• Arike Ogunbowale
• Ali Patberg
• ...and in Nebraska, a center named Jess Shepard enrolled at Nebraska.

The ND starting point of this one is pretty darn strong: those are three exceptional collegiate careers. Patberg, of course, left for Indiana and just finished up. And Shepard joined her U.S.A. National teammates her junior year to get to the national championship game twice in two years. Mabrey, Ogunbowale and Sheppard are all still in the WNBA. So, I've got to five a nod to this class, for NCAA accomplishments and still developing pro careers.

Jewell Loyd and Co were 2012s rather than 2015.

2015 you could add both Turner/Young if you consider when all of those kids departed. That was a heck of a 5 player departing class when you add in Mabrey, Shepard and Arike.

 

[bbsamjj]

Tangela Smith did go on to become B10 Player of the Year and have a very nice WNBA career.

Looks like Gooden was the B10 FOY but had a quieter career after that. Domond had a good, not great, college career (ended up being second team B10).

 

[bbsamjj]

CVS got some great doubles in her time at RU:

Cappie Pondexter/Chelsea Newton (Also Rebecca Richmond, Saona Chapman)
Matee Ajavon/Essence Carson
Tasha Pointer/Tammy Sutton Brown/Linda Miles

 

[Dillon77]

Jewell Loyd and Co were 2012s rather than 2015.

2015 you could add both Turner/Young if you consider when all of those kids departed. That was a heck of a 5 player departing class when you add in Mabrey, Shepard and Arike.

Sorry and thanks....That was just a strange typo on my part;
I tried to go back to when they entered as freshman, but you have a point: due to an injury to Bri and Jackie leaving early, the group that all left ND in 2019 was perhaps the best exiting group ever: Jess Shepard, Bri Turner, Jackie Young, Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey. And the way it was bunched caused one heck of a massive drop-off!

 

[MSSportsGuy]

The 2012 class of Stewart, Tuck and Jefferson accomplished more in 4 years than any class before and I don't think we will ever see that again.

The 1998 class was probably the best ever in terms of 4 players with incredible careers in college and highly successful pros. Walters left due to injury or it would have been 5.

At the time the class that came to UT in 1997 (Catch, Randal, Geter, and Clement) was called the best class of all time. They teamed with Holdsclaw, Jolly and Elzy to form one of the best teams of all time. I actually had high hopes for that class winning another title or 2 given their reputations but it wasn't meant to be.

In 2004 UT welcomed the 6 pack of Parker, Hornbuckle, Anosike, SWG, Fuller, and also Sybill Dosty. I have posted numerous time I will always believe UT wins the 2005 title if Parker, Fuller, SWG, and Sidney Spencer played in the F4, and I feel the same way about 01 UConn if Svet and Shea played. However, that class at UT took a hit when Dosty left after one year and SWG left 9 games into her second year after what must have been a tough situation with Summitt and it was clear no love was lost between them at that time. Bobbit and Auguste arrived and that team wound up winning 2 titles so they at least deserve a mention.

Maybe the 2019 SC class will be right there after next year. It's a pretty accomplished group already. Boston is the star no doubt but the others aren't exactly chopped liver.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Tennessee 97 had Teresa "Tree" Geter who was a heck of a shot blocker and contributor in 98/99 before transferring her last two years.

Randall/Catchings made a heck of a pair their first 3 years, but Randall declined as a senior and Catchings tore her ACL mid-season which contributed to an early NCAA exit. Clement also didn't pan out quite as expected, as she was a great role player off the bench her first 2 years and struggled in a more prominent role her junior year. I wish for her she could've played in the 2000 title game but it wouldn't have made much of a difference. UCONN was clearly the better team that night and wasn't losing even if Tennessee brought its A game.

In 2001 the leadership of that team was Lawson, Snow and Jackson after Catchings injury. I couldn't figure out Randall that year but she had little impact, espeically compared to what we saw her first two years.

I think the big thing about those teams was in 1998, Summitt had the players to run and they did. They had the talent and speed to run people all over the court and their talent and stamina wore teams down. After Holdsclaw and Jolly left, Summitt moved back into a halfcourt style game with Snow, Jackson, and Robinson down low. Clement and Randall were better full court players than half court. The halfcourt style even took Catchings some time to adjust to as she was the 2000 POY but had lower numbers than her first two years. Lawson wasn't exactly the fastest player either so the team evolved. They lost in the NC game in 2000 and gave out in the S16 without Catchings in 01 so not exactly poor finishes but it wasn't what was expected out of the group.