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| Wednesday, May 16 |
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| Top 10 recruiting classes By David Benezra and Mark Mayemura Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College basketball national letters of intent have been signed, sealed and delivered to colleges around the country. So, who came out on top? Recruiting USA breaks down the top 10 recruiting classes for 2001:
Dajuan Wagner ... Need we say more? The top player in the class happens to play a position where he will have the ball in his hands ... a lot! Wagner should have a tremendous impact on the team during the one season he is likely to be in Memphis. Erwin is a strong rebounder and Rice can score. Massie is a very mature juco transfer. He has a big body and is skilled but his work ethic is questionable. Memphis should make the NCAA's this year. How far they go depends on the chemistry between Wagner and the returning upperclassmen-a fairly talented group of returnees.
The neon sign on top of UCLA's Pauley Pavilion reads, "Athletes Only Need Apply," or it would, if they had one. A truly great athlete, Patterson is the athletic poster boy of this class. Not yet polished, Patterson should be a great one before he leaves. Bozeman, the "other" great athlete in this class will run the point. Multi-position and multi-faceted, Thompson will be out there somewhere. He is a great passer and talented playmaker. A good project, Fey, will add some beef to the Bruin's California spa diet roster. Bozeman will start at the point. Patterson and Thompson will press the returnees for time and give head coach Steve Lavin the most quality depth he has had since he took over the program.
No school in the country will have a pair of athletic, bookend forwards like Robinson and Killingsworth. Killingsworth can shoot it or bang it home. Robinson merely dunks and blocks everything, and he too can make an outside shot when he isn't flying above the rim. Rounding out this class is another great athlete, Dwayne Mitchell, playing wing. The two juco transfers will take care of the bass, while the high flyers will provide the rhythm and harmony. Athletically, this class allows Auburn to compete with any team it faces this year.
The creative Bynum is a strong one on one player. Ably creating assists for him will be Stoudamire, a stone shooter. Latimore will lend his rugged presence to the power forward position. Fox will be asked to literally fill the middle, while athletic project and center of the future, Channing Frye, matures. Arizona was left somewhat devastated by the departure of juniors Arenas, Wright, Gardner and Jefferson. Even if Gardner decides to come back to the desert, the Wildcats will be young, but promising upfront and need Latimore to emerge quickly.
Sensley is a rare breed at the collegiate level: A tall, powerfully built skilled forward. Sampson comes in with a chance to be the best center in Cal basketball history if he can stay injury-free. Bond, Erik Bond, is a tall shooting wing. Cal got two "blue chip" type frontline recruits that could give them the push they need to get into the upper echelon of the Pac 10.
Julius Hodge will be given every opportunity to lead N.C. State into the promised land – the NCAA Tournament. Hodge is a lithe, quick-darting athlete who will be a big-time scorer and playmaker once he becomes a consistent shooter. Watkins is a combo forward who, while somewhat unheralded, may be a more consistent producer as a freshman and should eventually become a frontline anchor. The Wolfpack needed some frontcourt bodies and got them, although Collins has a rap as a "soft" player. Powell has the athleticism to contribute on the defensive end.
Despite the loss of Kwame Brown to the NBA draft, Florida's class still rates high with two outstanding athletes. Lee is an explosive force from 15 feet and in, while White can perform any athletic task necessary in Florida's frenzied forays up and down the floor. Losing Brown is a blow, but the Gators only figured to have him for one year anyway and they return a couple of veterans in the frontcourt. These two will provide enough depth for the Gators to make a run at a title.
Guards are everything and Kansas will stay strong under the leadership of Miles. The joker in the entire recruiting class of 2001 is guard Keith Langford. He is way better than most think and should mature into a great scorer. Simien is a power player who can score. It wasn't easy picking Kansas over other Big 12 teams, but Miles and Langford should make a great tandum for a few years and that will provide the needed continuity for Kansas to stay at or near the top.
No, Kelvin Torbert isn't a Michael Jordan imitation ice cream made by Ben & Jerry's. He's pretty good being his own man. A high-flying leaper who can also make a few shots. Michigan State took care of perimeter needs with Torbert, the athletic Anderson and Hill. Torbert will step in admirably for the departed Jason Richardson, especially if he can fine tune his jumper. The Spartans will be a perimeter-oriented team this year and should still make the tournament.
Rick Pitino hopes to put a "hurt" on his opponents right away now that premier point guard prospect Carlos Hurt has become a full qualifier. The addition of the talented, albeit enigmatic, Bender should fill a huge hole, assuming that Pitino can motivate him. Also contributing will be 6-4 leaper Greg Tinch, who signed a football scholarship but will play both indoors and outdoors. Louisville needs a lot of frontline help, but if Bender comes to play every night, with Hurt at the point the Cards will take a big step up. David Benezra and Mark Mayemura 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.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Hodge: Brown picks NBA over Florida Recruiting: Late spring signings Katz: Who's left with what? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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