College Basketball Coaches Having the Most Recruiting Success at New Schools

National signing week is right around the corner for the class of 2017, and that means many new head coaches at the college level are signing their first complete class of players.

With many new head coaches being on the job since the spring, they've not only had the chance to recruit the current high school senior class, but many also added new additions to the roster right away for the upcoming college basketball season. 

Here's a look at 10 college coaches who have yet to be on the sideline with their new teams for a regular-season game but still have done damage on the recruiting trail.

Some of these coaches come from familiar programs in power conferences, while others are getting things done at some places that haven't had much recent success.  

10. Brad Underwood, Oklahoma State

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Recruiting Reputation: This is Brad Underwood's first high-major head coaching job, but he was highly successful at Stephen F. Austin the last three seasons—making three NCAA tournament runs—and has also been an assistant at Kansas State and South Carolina. 

Key Recruit: By getting 3-star guard Zack Dawson, Underwood might have his lead guard of the future. Dawson is an attacking guard who can operate out of the pick-and-roll and has good size at 6'4". With Dawson entering the program, Underwood could be steady at guard the next few years if Jawun Evans stays around.

Recruiting Outlook: Underwood hasn't pulled in a high number of commitments yet, but Dawson and class of 2016 guard Brandon Averette should help bolster a backcourt that could be very good if Evans stays around a few more years. It'll be interesting to see how Underwood fills out the rest of his first recruiting class after he convinced all three freshmen committed to Travis Ford to stick around.

9. Jerod Haase, Stanford

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Recruiting Reputation: As a first-time high-major head coach, Jarod Haase was one of the more intriguing offseason hires, as he comes from UAB. But since Haase is from California and played at Cal, he understands the unique recruiting that it takes to win at Stanford. At UAB, Haase built NCAA tournament teams by keeping local talent home, including Alabama Mr. Basketball William Lee. 

Key Recruit: Haase just had to retain two 4-star recruits he inherited from previous head coach Johnny Dawkins in the class of 2016, so the 2017 class is when things started moving. Stanford getting a pledge from 4-star small forward Kezie Okpala was supremely important. The Anaheim, California, native is a late-blooming wing with guard skills and could end up being a great long-term prospect.

Recruiting Outlook: Besides a commitment from Okpala, Stanford also recently went international by getting German power forward Oscar Da Silva. With two early commitments, Haase is off to a decent start. He'll be able to recruit even better if he can win early with this roster at Stanford. 

8. Tubby Smith, Memphis

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Recruiting Reputation: Known more for his in-game prowess than landing blue-chip prospects, Tubby Smith still has an underrated recruiting profile. At Kentucky, Smith recruited pros such as Rajon Rondo and Tayshaun Prince. There weren't as many future pros at Minnesota and Texas Tech, but Smith did enough recruiting to get those programs to the NCAA tournament.

Key Recruit: The Tigers have landed high school prospects from the classes of 2016 and 2017 under Smith, but Coppin State graduate transfer Christian Kessee could be the key to Memphis being a postseason team. With Memphis struggling to shoot last season while having to replace multiple rotation guards who left, Kessee will be a huge impact player this campaign.

Recruiting Outlook: For the 2016-17 season, Smith also got Keon Clergeot to commit to Memphis after previously being committed to Smith at Texas Tech. The class of 2017 is also off to a solid start with commitments from 3-star wing David Nickelberry and 3-star guard Jamal Johnson. If Smith can continue to add talent, he's a proven coach at getting teams to the NCAA tournament.

7. Marvin Menzies, UNLV

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Recruiting Reputation: Making five NCAA tournament appearances and recruiting multiple impact players at New Mexico State, Marvin Menzies was a replacement hire when Chris Beard left for Texas Tech. Menzies has been a winner as a head coach, and he's produced some pro players such as Sim Bhullar and Pascal Siakam.

Key Recruit: Getting Troy Baxter in early September was a giant coup for the Runnin' Rebels, as the ultra-athletic 4-star wing was released from his letter of intent at South Florida and committed to UNLV. With only three returning players from last year's roster, Menzies needed impact players and potentially has one right away with Baxter.

Recruiting Outlook: UNLV had to take a lot of chances on players this spring, since Menzies took the job so late and was inheriting a gutted roster. Landing some junior college prospects and two players from the Chicago Public League, UNLV pieced together some intriguing players for this upcoming season. With no class of 2017 recruits yet, Menzies still has a few scholarships to work with to help mold his roster.

6. Bryce Drew, Vanderbilt

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Recruiting Reputation: The Drew family has earned a good recruiting reputation in college basketball, as Bryce joins older brother Scott in the high-major coaching ranks. Valparaiso senior Alec Peters has a chance to be a rare mid-major All-American this season, and Drew was responsible for recruiting and developing the talented stretch forward. 

Key Recruit: Saben Lee was the first Vanderbilt commitment in the class of 2017, and getting the 4-star point guard was a great sign for the future. The 6'2" Lee comes from Arizona and has a lot of upside, as the athletic guard should be a solid player to have the next few years. Landing a top-100 player from another coast is a good sign for Drew being able to recruit at the national level.

Recruiting Outlook: Since getting Lee, Vanderbilt has added two more quality players in the class of 2017 in 3-star guard Maxwell Evans and 3-star center Ejike Obinna. Securing this three-man group is a great start for Drew at Vanderbilt, as he has some unique academic restrictions that other high-major programs don't have to deal with. 

5. Kevin Stallings, Pittsburgh

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Recruiting Reputation: Vanderbilt is a tough school to recruit at, but Kevin Stallings was still able to make the NCAA tournament and pump out NBA players as head coach of the SEC program. Stallings had future NBA players at multiple positions, as he recruited players such as Wade Baldwin, John Jenkins and Festus Ezeli. 

Key Recruit: The class of 2017 is the first class at Pitt where Stallings did his own recruiting, and he got it started in May with 4-star point guard Aaron Thompson. Stallings had been recruiting Thompson since he was head coach at Vanderbilt, and getting a legitimate floor general early helped the Panthers land a solid four-man class. 

Recruiting Outlook: Stallings only recently filled out his class of 2017 for the Panthers. He added 3-star power forward Terrell Brown, 4-star guard Marcus Carr and junior college wing Jared Wilson-Frame. The commitment from Wilson-Frame is particularly interesting because it shows that Stallings is willing to recruit junior college prospects in his new position. Since Vanderbilt had such rigorous academic standards, Stallings likely had to avoid certain prospects in his last gig. Being at Pitt could open up a new avenue for him to land players.

4. Chris Beard, Texas Tech

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Recruiting Reputation: Only in his second year as a Division I head coach, Chris Beard quickly climbed the ladder after a 30-win campaign at Little Rock last season. Building a roster using transfers and junior college transfers, Beard has found some talented players other programs won't take a chance on. Also a 10-year assistant at Texas Tech, Beard is incredibly familiar with what it takes to recruit for that program.

Key Recruit: Inheriting an NCAA tournament team that returns most of its roster, Beard was able to add a couple of key players for Texas Tech this season during the spring. Junior college guards Niem Stevenson and Shadell Millinghaus provide a lift in scoring, while graduate transfer forward Anthony Livingston is another talented frontcourt player.

Recruiting Outlook: Beard has already given Texas Tech a solid foundation in the class of 2017. Transfers Brandone Francis (Florida) and Tommy Hamilton (DePaul) are sitting out a year, while 3-star shooting guard Jarrett Culver shows that Beard can still recruit traditional high school players from Texas. With the Red Raiders coming off the NCAA tournament with a roster filled with talent, things look like they'll be OK from the get-go for Beard.

3. Travis Ford, Saint Louis

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Recruiting Reputation: When he was at Oklahoma State, Travis Ford didn't have enough postseason success to keep his job, but he was able to land some high-quality players. McDonald's All-Americans such as LeBryan Nash, Marcus Smart and Jawun Evans all played for Ford with the Cowboys, so he's familiar with winning national recruiting battles. 

Key Recruit: Ford was able to pull in some quality late 2016 recruits and future transfers during his first spring on campus, but the addition of 4-star small forward Jordan Goodwin in August was a huge coup. The 6'4" Goodwin is a local recruit who represented that Ford was making a priority out of the Saint Louis metro area, and other recruits took notice.

Recruiting Outlook: Coming off a strong recent stretch, Ford has Saint Louis in great position for the future with all of the new pieces he has coming in. Besides Goodwin, rugged 3-star forward Hasahn French is committed to the Billikens, while 4-star 2018 big man Carte'Are Gordon is also on board. By landing local stars such as Goodwin and Gordon while continuing to recruit at a national level, Ford is setting up Saint Louis for some talented rosters.

2. Jamie Dixon, TCU

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Recruiting Reputation: Things eventually soured for Jamie Dixon during his 13 years as head coach at Pitt, but he did a great job of landing talented players. Big men such as Steven Adams and Aaron Gray played for Dixon, while he also had others such as Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. Making 11 NCAA tournaments in 13 years certainly helped Dixon on the recruiting trail. 

Key Recruit: TCU has only one 20-win season in the last 15 years, so Dixon needed to make immediate moves to overhaul the roster. Adding 4-star point guard and former UNLV commitment Jaylen Fisher in the spring was a huge step in the right direction. The Horned Frogs desperately needed a point guard for the future, and Fisher gives them an exciting talent at the position. 

Recruiting Outlook: Getting Fisher was a nice start in the class of 2016, but the class of 2017 is where TCU is really starting to build momentum. Dixon has secured in-state commitments from two 4-star Texas high school prospects. Center Kevin Samuel and shooting guard R.J. Nembhard represent the future of TCU basketball. With a combined total of three 4-star prospects in the 2016 and 2017 classes, Dixon is off to a great start on the trail as he fights to make the Horned Frogs a relevant Big 12 program. 

1. Rick Stansbury, Western Kentucky

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Recruiting Reputation: Long having a reputation as a strong recruiter, Rick Stansbury landed a lot of talent as a head coach at Mississippi State and associate head coach at Texas A&M. With the Bulldogs, Stansbury recruited NBA players such as Jarvis Varnado and Arnett Moultrie while helping Texas A&M land a top class in 2014.

Key Recruit: The decision for 5-star center Mitchell Robinson to commit to the Hilltoppers gave Stansbury and the program a legitimate top-10 prospect who is the best shot-blocker in the country. Having a center such as Robinson to build around was a huge addition for Stansbury, and it also showed that he can still be a force to be reckoned with recruiting at Western Kentucky.

Recruiting Outlook: Besides landing quality high school prospects such as Robinson and 4-star wing Josh Anderson, Stansbury has done a great job of restocking the roster with transfers. Que Johnson, Junior Lomomba and Pancake Thomas are three quality graduate transfers who will help this season, while Lamonte Bearden will be an impact point guard after sitting out a transfer year. The future looks bright at Western Kentucky with this type of talent in place. 

Recruiting ratings via Scout.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and information were obtained firsthand.