Which College Basketball Teams Are the Best at Recruiting?
Recruiting has become a race for pro-level talent as the top college basketball programs in the country usually have to reload quickly to appease the demands of a winning culture.
This means that the blue-blooded college basketball programs are often fighting for the same 5-star prospects every year and it's led to some dominating stretches from some great programs. Duke and Kentucky have been the gold standard of elite recruiting the last few classes, but plenty of the other powers in the college basketball world have attracted pros and won a lot of games themselves.
Here's a look at the programs who are recruiting at the highest level over the last few classes. These 10 teams are always dangerous when it comes to landing a signature top recruit.
10. Indiana
1 of 10
Top recent recruits: Cody Zeller, Yogi Ferrell, Noah Vonleh, James Blackmon Jr., Thomas Bryant
Key 2016 players and targets: Even though Indiana head coach Tom Crean finds himself on the hot seat, the Hoosiers have still brought in some talented prospects. Guard Curtis Jones and big man De'Ron Davis are both legitimate 4-star prospects, while in-state guard Grant Gelon provides additional perimeter shooting.
Signature selling points: Indiana has landed a McDonald's All-American in five consecutive classes, so Crean has done a great job of continually bringing high-end talent to Bloomington. With a basketball-crazy state and a rich history to sell, Indiana is one of the best jobs in the country. Since the Big Ten only seems to be getting stronger, there are a lot of positives to playing for Indiana.
9. UNLV
2 of 10
Top recent recruits: Anthony Bennett, Christian Wood, Rashad Vaughn, Dwayne Morgan, Stephen Zimmerman
Key 2016 players and targets: UNLV has another talented four-man class heading to Las Vegas in 2016. Point guard Jaylen Fisher and wing Justin Jackson are both 4-star prospects, while guards Carlos Johnson and Christian Vital are both talented 3-star prospects who should be valuable rotation pieces.
Signature selling points: I mean, have you been to Las Vegas? The allure of going to school and playing in Sin City has helped make UNLV a national recruiting power since the Jerry Tarkanian days. Besides the appeal of Las Vegas, the Runnin' Rebels have produced a lot of NBA players over the years. Although many label him a bust, Anthony Bennett was still the No. 1 pick after one year of college and that's a very appealing selling point to recruits. If there's one thing potentially holding UNLV back, it's the Mountain West not being as powerful a conference as the high-major leagues.
8. Louisville
3 of 10
Top recent recruits: Montrezl Harrell, Terry Rozier, Donovan Mitchell
Key 2016 players and targets: Recruiting has slowed down a little bit for Louisville since the Katina Powell bombshell, but the Cardinals still have 5-star wing V.J. King committed, along with a very good shooter in 3-star guard Frankie Hughes.
Signature selling points: This is the part where cynics would say "dorm parties," but head coach Rick Pitino is a championship-caliber coach and the Cardinals have a tremendous fanbase. Also owning high-end facilities, the KFC Yum! Center is one of the premier arenas in all of college basketball and the move to the ACC was a great move for recruiting. The Powell scandal will undoubtedly hurt recruiting a little bit, but Louisville still has a ton of great things to offer.
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7. LSU
4 of 10
Top recent recruits: Johnny O'Bryant, Jarell Martin, Jordan Mickey, Ben Simmons, Antonio Blakeney
Key 2016 players and targets: LSU has a large five-man class coming in with the expected departure of Simmons after one season. Skylar Mays is a talented 4-star guard and 3-star wing Wayde Sims is a solid in-state grab. The Tigers also hit the junior college ranks hard, landing teammates Branden Jenkins and Duop Reath. The Australian pipeline also continues with athletic shooting guard Kieran Hayward.
Signature selling points: LSU is probably a football and baseball school first and foremost, but it still has attracted a ton of pro-level talent to the SEC for basketball. Simmons has a chance to be a potential No. 1 pick after one year of school, so that will only help head coach Johnny Jones and his staff. The SEC has also greatly improved as a basketball conference the last few years and some top players love getting a crack at Kentucky.
6. North Carolina
5 of 10
Top recent recruits: Harrison Barnes, James Michael McAdoo, Marcus Paige, Justin Jackson
Key 2016 players and targets: After dealing with recruiting issues from the NCAA scandal, North Carolina has rebounded nicely with three 4-star prospects in the 2016 class. Seventh Woods and Brandon Robinson make up the Tar Heel backcourt of the future, while 4-star big man Tony Bradley shows promise as a space eater who can score and rebound.
Signature selling points: North Carolina carries an immense reputation as a basketball power nationally and they come from an area that produces a ton of fans. It also helps in recruiting when Michael Jordan is a prominent alum and so many still look up to him as the greatest player who ever lived. The NCAA scandal has dropped the Tar Heels a peg since recent recruiting has slowed down, but they're still in the hunt for a lot of McDonald's All-Americans.
5. UCLA
6 of 10
Top recent recruits: Shabazz Muhammad, Kyle Anderson, Zach LaVine, Kevon Looney, Thomas Welsh
Key 2016 players and targets: Head coach Steve Alford has assembled a top-flight class in Westwood for 2016. Lonzo Ball is an exceptionally gifted point guard and he's joined by fellow 5-star T.J. Leaf, a sweet-shooting stretch 4. Big man Ike Anigbogu has a lot of upside as a 4-star prospect and guard Kobe Paras has a big reputation as an athlete and shooter.
Signature selling points: One of the historically great programs of all time, UCLA owns plenty of national championship hardware and big-name star power. It's the school of everyone from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Russell Westbrook and the Bruins can certainly use that in recruiting. If UCLA's fickle fanbase showed as much consistent support as some of the other great programs, their recruiting could elevate to another level.
4. Arizona
7 of 10
Top recent recruits: Grant Jerrett, Brandon Ashley, Aaron Gordon, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Stanley Johnson
Key 2016 players and targets: Arizona is off to a bit of a slow start in the Class of 2016 as they only have talented Finland native and 4-star forward Lauri Markkanen committed. Besides Markkanen, head coach Sean Miller and his staff aggressively pursued 5-star wing Josh Jackson, who Miller coached with USA Basketball this summer. Andrew Jones, a 4-star guard from Texas, is also a viable option for the Wildcats, as Jones visited Tucson a few months ago.
Signature selling points: By remaining one of the top college basketball programs in the country, Arizona has established itself as the premier recruiting program on the West Coast. The recent NBA draft picks have helped Miller with top-end talent and Arizona recently upgraded its facilities to be among the best in the country. When you also factor in the tremendous campus life, warm weather and winning tradition, Arizona will always be a factor for any 5-star recruit they want to be involved with.
3. Kansas
8 of 10
Top recent recruits: Ben McLemore, Perry Ellis, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., Cliff Alexander, Cheick Diallo, Carlton Bragg
Key 2016 players and targets: Kansas is off to a bit of a slow start in the Class of 2016, as they’ve only secured a commitment from high-motor, 3-star forward Mitch Lightfoot. If we’ve learned anything about Bill Self the last few years, however, it’s that he’s been great at landing elite players in the spring. Kansas is still involved with a number of 5-star prospects, including Josh Jackson, Marques Bolden, Jarrett Allen and Rawle Alkins.
Signature selling points: Kansas is one of the winningest programs in college basketball history and it’s certainly appealing to recruits when the Jayhawks have won 11 consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles. The Jayhawks have ties from James Naismith and Wilt Chamberlain in the past and Paul Pierce and Andrew Wiggins in the present. Former players seem to love the Kansas fanbase, which is very vocal while they play in legendary Phog Allen Fieldhouse. Self reaching two Final Fours in the last decade also doesn’t hurt and he has a national championship to his credit in 2008. All of those factors add up to give Kansas a tremendous college experience while also pumping out a lot of talented pros.
2. Duke
9 of 10
Top recent recruits: Kyrie Irving, Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow
Key 2016 players and targets: Mike Krzyzewski has put together some monster classes the last few years—culminating in his Class of 2014 freshmen playing a huge part in last season’s national championship. The Class of 2016 at Duke could be his best class yet. Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum are consensus top-five players, while 5-star point guard Frank Jackson and 4-star forward Javin DeLaurier are also committed. Giles and Tatum have won gold medals with USA Basketball on multiple occasions and could both be prime candidates to be one-and-done. The Blue Devils are also still in pursuit of 5-star center Marques Bolden and other targets could emerge if they decide to pursue more insurance for Giles, who tore his ACL in early November.
Signature selling points: Coach K has been winning national titles at Duke since before the kids he was recruiting were even born. That kind of long-term success has helped Krzyzewski land elite recruits and also given him the head job with USA Basketball. Coach K has also generated more NBA credibility over time, as he has become a trusted adviser to players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant while producing plenty of recent lottery picks. Add in the allure of playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Cameron Crazies and a rigorous ACC schedule and Duke has more positives than nearly every program in the country.
1. Kentucky
10 of 10
Top recent recruits: Skal Labissiere, Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, Julius Randle, James Young
Key 2016 players and targets: Kentucky pulled in some talented 5-star big men in the Class of 2016, as Massachusetts native Wenyen Gabriel, Virginia native Sacha Killeya-Jones and North Carolina big man Edrice "Bam" Adebayo are all committed. On top of the three big men, the 5-star backcourt duo of Texas native De'Aaron Fox and Arkansas guard Malik Monk complete an absurd 5-man class. With a frequent roster turnover of one-and-done players, the Wildcats are also pursuing a bevy of options, including 5-star guards like Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins and 5-star big men like Thon Maker, Marques Bolden and Jarrett Allen.
Signature selling points: There has been recent competition for the top spot coming from Duke, but Kentucky still has the most to offer elite basketball recruits. John Calipari has masterfully gamed the one-and-done system each year to give the Wildcats elite recruiting classes filled with future pros. When you sell an elite recruit on having three No. 1 picks in the last six years, it's an easy selling point. Couple that with Kentucky's huge fanbase and the Wildcats' frequent television exposure and it's a complete package that can't be topped.
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