2010-11 College Basketball Early Signing Day: Top 10 Recruiting Classes

Anthony Davis - (Scott Powers / ESPNChicago.com)

I love National Signing Day! Though there isn't much drama or surprise, I really get into the simple events that occur each year

Teams officially welcome new players.

Coaches can go on record for the first time and discuss each player individually. Fans can finally gain insight to replace their speculation.

And as much as I love Signing Day, I love the rankings even more. Seeing what kinds of players teams have recruited, finding out where teams are drawing talent from and seeing how the various teams stack up against one another, is awesome!

While many teams filled needs and added depth, the following 10 teams—according to Evan Daniels, recruiting analyst for Scout.com—came away with the best of the best.

10. Rutgers

Kadeem Jack - (Pace for News)

First-year coach Mike Rice started things off right by pulling in the highest-ranking recruiting class in Rutgers school history.

 

Kadeem Jack - South Kent, Conn. - 6'8",190 lbs - PF

Myles Mack (71) - Jersey City, N.J. - 5'11", 155 lbs - PG

Derrick Randall (93) - South Kent, Conn. - 6'8", 225 lbs - PF

Jerome Seagears - Red Springs, N.C. - 6'2", 175 lbs - PG

Michael Taylor - Brooklyn, N.Y. - 6'2",185 lbs - SG

9. Arizona

Josiah Turner - (Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Wildcat)

Sean Miller has not stopped running since he was hired a year-and-a-half ago. Putting together three separate, strong recruiting successes has been nothing short of amazing. And this class is the best!

 

Josiah Turner (24) - Sacramento, Calif. - 6'3", 175 lbs - PG

Nick Johnson (26) - Henderson, Nev. - 6'3", 185 lbs - SG/PG

Sidiki Johnson (58) - Mouth of Wilson, Va. - 6'8", 220 lbs - PF

8. Syracuse

Rakeem Christmas

Jim Boeheim covered a lot of bases with this recruiting class: a top-level inside stopper (Christmas), a prolific scorer (Carter-Williams), and a long-range marksman (Cooney).

 

Rakeem Christmas (10) - Bryn Athyn, Pa. - 6'9", 230 lbs - C

Michael Carter-Williams (31) - Barrington, R.I. - 6'5", 165 lbs - SG

Trevor Cooney (59) - Hockessin, Del. - 6'3", 185 lbs - SG

7. North Carolina

James McAdoo

The Tar Heels just keep adding talent on top of talent. Even with this smaller class, Roy Williams picked up two elite-level difference-makers in McAdoo and Hairston.

 

James McAdoo (4) - Norfolk, Va. - 6'8", 205 lbs - PF

P.J. Hairston (18) - Chatham, Va. - 6'4", 230 lbs - SG/SF

Jackson Simmons - Sylva, N.C. - 6'7", 190 lbs - PF

 

6. Louisville

Wayne Blackshear - (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)

Rick Pitino pulled in both talent and depth in one recruiting class. This group could be Louisville's best in some time.

 

Wayne Blackshear (12) - Chicago, Ill. - 6'5", 215 lbs - SG

Chane Behanan (29) - Bowling Green, Ky. - 6'7", 255 lbs - PF/SF

Zach Price (53) - Jeffersontown, Ky. - 6'10", 230 lbs - C

Angel Nunez - Fitchburg, Mass. - 6'7", 190 lbs - SF

Ryan Taylor - Louisville, Ky. - 6'5", 205 lbs - SG

5. Texas

Myck Kabongo

Rick Barnes continues to bring some of the best talent from across the country to Austin. This year's class has more of a Lone Star State flavor.

 

Myck Kabongo (9) - Henderson, Nev. - 6'2", 170 lbs - PG

Sheldon McClellan (35) - Bellaire, Texas - 6'5", 170 lbs - SG/SF

Jonathan Holmes (69) - San Antonio, Texas - 6'8", 190 lbs - PF

Julien Lewis (89) - La Marque, Texas - 6'4", 185 lbs - SG

 

4. St. John's

Maurice Harkless - (Damion Reid)

One day after introducing this exceptional five-man recruiting class, St. John’s received a verbal pledge from 6'10" Los Angeles Price center Norvel Pelle, the No. 2 center in the Class of 2011.

Steve Lavin, in one short recruiting season, took a big step towards making St. John's relevant again.

 

Jakarr Sampson (22) -Wolfeboro, N.H. - 6'7", 195 lbs - SF

Maurice Harkless (44) - South Kent, Conn. - 6'7", 190 lbs - SF

D'Angelo Harrison (60) - Sugar Land, Texas - 6'2", 190 lbs - SG

Dom Pointer (81) - Winston Salem, N.C. - 6'5", 210 lbs - SF

Nurideen Lindsey - Philadelphia, Pa. - 6'4", 175 lbs - SG

3. Arkansas

B.J. Young

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey's hard work on the recruiting trail paid off with what could be the best class to come to Fayetteville in a long time.

 

B.J. Young (17) - Florissant, Mo. - 6'2", 160 lbs - PG

Ky Madden (30) - Lepanto, Ark. - 6'5", 170 lbs - SF/SG

Hunter Mickelson (50) - Jonesboro, Ark. - 6'10", 195 lbs - PF

Aaron Ross - Little Rock, Ark. - 6'6", 220 lbs - SF/PF

DeVonte Abron - Seagoville, Texas - 6'7", 210 lbs - PF/SF

 

2. Duke

Austin Rivers - (Greg Nelson/SI)

Not a bad thing to win the national championship and then get the second best recruiting class in the country!

 

Austin Rivers (3) - Winter Park, Fla. - 6'4", 175 lbs - SG/PG

Quinn Cook (20) - Mouth of Wilson, Va. - 6'0", 155 lbs - PG

Michael Gbinije (21) - Richmond, Va. - 6'6", 180 lbs - SF/SG

Marshall Plumlee (40) - Arden, N.C. - 7'0", 215 lbs - C/PF

 

1. Kentucky

Anthony Davis - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com

The rich evidently do get richer. Kentucky again has the top recruit and top recruiting class, for the third year in a row!

Anthony Davis (1) - Chicago, Ill. - 6'9" 190 lbs - PF

Michael Gilchrist (5) - Elizabeth, N.J. - 6'6", 190 lbs - SF

Marquis Teague (6) - Indianapolis, Ind. - 6'1", 165 lbs - PG

Kyle Wiltjer (19) - Portland, Ore. - 6'9", 225 lbs - PF