Top 25 College Basketball Recruiting Classes since 2000

[tcf15]

Not sure if this has already been posted, but this could provide some nice offseason fodder. They list UConn three times:

6. 2001 Connecticut
The class: Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor
Gordon and Okafor led Connecticut to a national title as juniors in 2004 to cap a 33-6 season. A shot-blocker extraordinaire, Okafor was a consensus All-American and the second pick in the NBA Draft after Dwight Howard. Gordon followed his teammate as the third overall pick.

16. 2003 Connecticut
The class: Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams
The class produced three first-round draft picks, but also the core of the 2004-05 team that was a No. 2 seed bounced in the second round of the NCAAs by NC State, and the 2005-06 team that was a top seed but lost to 11th-seeded George Mason in the championship game. All were role players for the 2004 title team.

22. 2006 Connecticut
The class: Jerome Dyson, Curtis Kelly, Stanley Robinson, Hasheem Thabeet
Led by 2009 Big East Player of the Year Thabeet, this class produced three starters on the Huskies’ Final Four team in 2009.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/top-25-college-basketball-recruiting-classes-2000

 

[Gurleyman]

Not sure if this has already been posted, but this could provide some nice offseason fodder. They list UConn three times:

6. 2001 Connecticut
The class: Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor
Gordon and Okafor led Connecticut to a national title as juniors in 2004 to cap a 33-6 season. A shot-blocker extraordinaire, Okafor was a consensus All-American and the second pick in the NBA Draft after Dwight Howard. Gordon followed his teammate as the third overall pick.

16. 2003 Connecticut
The class: Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams
The class produced three first-round draft picks, but also the core of the 2004-05 team that was a No. 2 seed bounced in the second round of the NCAAs by NC State, and the 2005-06 team that was a top seed but lost to 11th-seeded George Mason in the championship game. All were role players for the 2004 title team.

22. 2006 Connecticut
The class: Jerome Dyson, Curtis Kelly, Stanley Robinson, Hasheem Thabeet
Led by 2009 Big East Player of the Year Thabeet, this class produced three starters on the Huskies’ Final Four team in 2009.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/top-25-college-basketball-recruiting-classes-2000

Can't believe they dissed Chad Wise like that.

 

[Ts5034]

Interesting list. Its fun to look back on this type of stuff. The best part about Okafor and Gordon was that they werent highly ranked and kind of flew under the radar. Just another reason why JC was so great in having an eye for talent and developing players. Who knows, maybe our 2014 recruiting class will end up on a top 25 list some day??? We are off to a good start already.

 

[boog204]

Ben Gordon was a consensus top 50 recruit (as high as top 30 in some places). How is that unheralded and/or under the radar? And, Okafor by the end of his senior year was ranked in the top 75 by some. JC obviously did a great job with them, but this is not a Hilton situation where we took guys that no one knew about and made them into players.

 

[HooperScooper]

Not sure if this has already been posted, but this could provide some nice offseason fodder. They list UConn three times:

16. 2003 Connecticut
The class: Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams
The class produced three first-round draft picks, but also the core of the 2004-05 team that was a No. 2 seed bounced in the second round of the NCAAs by NC State, and the 2005-06 team that was a top seed but lost to 11th-seeded George Mason in the championship game. All were role players for the 2004 title team.

http://www.athlonsports.com/college-basketball/top-25-college-basketball-recruiting-classes-2000

UConn lost in the championship game in 2006? Gee, how did I miss that?

 

[CTBasketball]

Some of the editing in these things are just laughable.

 

[Scot-e]

Uk-5
Dook-5
UNC-4
KU-3
IU-2
UCONN 2014 -1

 

[7774]

Pretty amazing that we have 3 of the best 25 classes, and we have 1 McD AA combined in those 3 classes. We really are the masters of developing talent.

 

[aceboon]

Ben Gordon was a consensus top 50 recruit (as high as top 30 in some places). How is that unheralded and/or under the radar? And, Okafor by the end of his senior year was ranked in the top 75 by some. JC obviously did a great job with them, but this is not a Hilton situation where we took guys that no one knew about and made them into players.

Borderline top 100 guys don't usually become the #2 pick in the draft/ROY like EO did. Unless you're trying to be a contrarian I don't see any issue with what he posted.