College Basketball Recruiting: Ranking the 15 Best Recruiters in the Country
Through the years, recruiting services such as Rivals and Scout offer predictions on how a player will turn out at the collegiate level.
As teens begin to choose their places of education, many coaches around the nation recruit them and deliver pitches on why they should come to a particular institution.
This slideshow will list the top coaches in nation in terms of recruiting. As we go through this list, please remember it takes more than recruiting great kids to reach a success inside of a program.
15. Mike Anderson: Arkansas
1 of 15
Though new to the Arkansas Razorbacks job, Mike Anderson still needs to be credited for the work he did while at Missouri getting the program back afloat.
The former Nolan Richardson assistant led the Missouri Tigers to a 111–57 (.661) record while finishing no worse than fifth in the Big XII conference.
During the 2009 NCAA tournament, the Missouri Tigers advanced the Elite Eight thanks to recruits DeMarre Carroll and 2009 Defensive Big XII player of the year J.T. Tiller.
During the 2010 recruiting season, Mike Anderson signed the sixth-ranked class. In 2011, Anderson once again acquired one of the best players in the nation.
Five-star recruit B.J. Young (6'2'', 160 pounds) looks to step in and help the Razorback front court with his speed and aggressive play along with four-star recruit Rashad Madden (6'5'', 170 pounds).
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 6
14. Jamie Dixon: Pitt
2 of 15
Jamie Dixon is one of those coaches who does well with what he has.
Dixon, talking with Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman, said he doesn't care about yearly recruiting rankings. Instead, he recruits players based on different criteria: attitude, academics and "most important" -- age.
"It’s hard because a lot of them don’t take into account academics, winning and most important – age," Dixon said. "Some guys in the same class are two years younger than others."
"We don’t recruit numbers," Dixon said. "We recruit winning and character. Sometimes when you get five highly ranked guys, they may not fit well together."
This seems to be true, until this year as Dixon signed five-star Khem Birch (6'8'' 210 pounds) to play power forward, and four-star center Malcolm Gilbert out of Pennslyvania. Birch has a huge shot blocking ability and can move well around the basketball.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Rankings: 11
13. Anthony Grant: Alabama
3 of 15
Look, I know it is a stretch to many of you, but slowly Anthony Grant is bringing back excitement in Tuscaloosa.
After a fantastic season, reaching the NIT Finals before losing to the Shockers of Wichita State, Grant looks to revive the SEC's second most successful program with a tenacity on the defensive side of the basketball.
Before the Alabama job, the former Billy Donovan assistant also recruited many of the of the players for the Virginia Commonwealth team that made a Final Four run in 2011.
With the acquisition of two-time Alabama "Mr. Basketball" recruit Trevor Lacey, look for Grant and the Crimson Tide to stir up a ruckus in the SEC West for the coming years.
2011 Scout Recruiting Ranking: 14th
.png?w=256 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
12. Bob Huggins: West Virginia
4 of 15
"Huggy Bear," as most Mountaineer fans call him, has resurrected the West Virginia program back to respectability.
Biggest recruit for Huggins was Kenyon Martin, who won AP Player of the Year in 2000. Huggins also led the Cincinnati Bearcats to 10 straight NCAA appearances and numerous Conference USA titles.
Though Huggins does not have many four-star or five-star recruits at his disposal, he has the ability to mold and break players into his system of play which makes him a effective recruiter and coach.
The only headliner of this class is the acquisition of 5'11'', 150 pound Jabarie Hinds. Look for Huggins large recruiting class to take shape over the next few years as West Virginia finds a way to get back to the Final Four.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 24
11. Thad Matta: Ohio State
5 of 15
With the football program heading for a complete meltdown thanks to swirling NCAA violations, Thad Matta and the Ohio State basketball program will now be heading for a bigger spotlight in Columbus.
Matta, a Hoopeston, Ill., native, has led the Buckeyes to four Big 10 conference titles. The biggest recruit prizes during his tenure so far are Mike Conley and our favorite senior citizen, Greg Oden.
Oden obtained first team All-American honors in 2007 en route to a 35-4 record and losing in the national championship game.
The hot recruit right currently appears to be Jared Sullinger, who led the Buckeyes in scoring last season with 17.2 ppg.
The 2011 class looks strong with four-star guard Shannon Scott out of Alpharetta, Ga., and small forward Sam Thompson (6'6'', 190 pounds). Look for Thompson to come in immediately help and thanks to his athleticism and ball-handling skills.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 8
10. Tom Izzo: Michigan State
6 of 15
Even an argumentative Magic Johnson has to admit it, the face of Michigan State basketball is and will be Tom Izzo for a very, very long time.
Izzo's bright recruiting started with Mateen Cleaves, whose leadership led to a 2000 national title and a Most Outstanding Player award.
Now Kalin Lucas, who just finished his campaign in East Lansing, averaged 17 ppg en-route to a 2010 NCAA Final Four berth in 2010.
After a Top 10 finish in Scout's 2010 recruiting ranking, Michigan State finished 19th in 2011 after signing just four players thanks to a full allotment of players on scholarship.
Prize of the class is 5-star recruit Branden Dawson (6'6'', 210 pounds). Look for Dawson to contribute immediately with his strength and rebounding skills.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 19
9. Rick Barnes: Texas
7 of 15
Rick Barnes should have no excuses as to why he is this low on the list. Why? Barnes is currently the head basketball coach in one of the richest athletic programs in the nation.
Add a $300 million network from ESPN, and it you can easily see why this man is recruiting some of the best talent in the nation.
Barnes' biggest recruit so far has to be Kevin Durant hands down. Durant led the nation in scoring in 2007 en route to a National Player of the Year Award.
D.J. Augustin did his part as a Texas guard and won the Cousy while T.J. Ford won the Naismith in 2003.
But can Rick Barnes get over the hump in 2012 leading the Longhorns past the NCAA second round?
With the acquisition of his 2011 class, that seems very possible. Only two recruits signed, but they are both five-star players.
Cory Joseph (6'3'', 175 pounds) is a beast with the basketball in his hands and has very good defensive skills, while Tristan Thompson out of Nevada has athleticism, but lacks a mid-range game.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 12
8. Jim Boeheim: Syracuse
8 of 15
Let the stats speak for themselves. Boeheim has guided the Syracuse Orange to five Big East Titles, 28 NCAA Tournament appearances and is currently fifth on the all-time win list.
Boeheim's best prize recruit during his era comes by a kid named Carmelo Anthony. The freshman phenom led the Orange to the 2003 National Title behind great guard play and a stingy zone defense that had a reputation for stopping great shooting teams.
Boeheim also produced explosive dunk extraordinaire Hakim Warrick and the lovable Gerry McNamara, who played during the years of 2002-2006.
After a 27-8 campaign last year, Santa is coming to town and he will play center handing out all sorts of goodies for unsuspecting guards who love to slash the lane.
The star of the class is 6'9, 230-pound Rakeem Christmas, who will look to have playing time immediately in New York.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting ranking: 11
7. Billy Donovan: Florida
9 of 15
The mastermind behind the Florida offense has given the SEC fits over the past several years and it appears as if it will not stop anytime soon.
Donovan is one of the only coaches in the history of the game to win back-to-back national titles. With the help of Al Horford and Joakim Noah, Donovan built a massive powerhouse in the SEC East.
Though taking a hit in recruiting these past few years thanks to indecisiveness of taking the Orlando Magic job, Donovan still managed to pick up five-star guard Brad Neal (6'3'', 180 pounds) and three-star commit Walter Pitchford (6'9'', 210 pounds).
Neal is a big-time scorer who has a sound mid-range game.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 29
6. Rick Pitino: Louisville
10 of 15
Say hello to my little recruit! Watching Rick Pitino swagged out clean in his debonair business suit from the bench makes me want to go watch a whole bunch of gangster films.
No, in all seriousness, though, Pitino is one of the best coaches ever in college basketball.
After being credited with leading the University of Kentucky to a National Championship in 1996, Pitino then took a brief hiatus from college basketball, coaching the NBA Boston Celtics from 1997 until 2001.
Pitino has been known to recruit players who have an exceptional three-point ability, including Preston Knowles, who had an explosive 2010 campaign which included a 38% range from arch.
The 2011 class looks strong with power forward Chane Beham (6'7'' 240 pounds) and Wayne Blackshear (6'5'', 215 pounds) at the small guard position.
Blackshear-like Knowles has a huge ability to shoot the three-point shot and is a big-time scorer.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 7
5. Bill Self: Kansas
11 of 15
The Oklahoma native took the reigns of the Kansas basketball program after the departure of Roy Williams and embraced it fully. Since, he has won a national title and held a tight grip around the Big XII crown.
But is the success of Bill Self's recruiting tactics helped by a passionate fanbase and a historic Allen Field-house? Earlier last week Self had this to say to KUSports.com about his outlook on recruiting.
“I’d say it’s a good topic of conversation. Recruiting is like a sport in itself,” Self said Tuesday. “Yesterday, probably three or four people at least asked me, ‘Hey what’s the latest?’ Or this or that. All that does is tell me people around here care.”
Self looks to take control of the Big XII with another solid recruting class featuring four-star recruits Ben McLemore (Oak Hill Academy) and guard Naadir Tharpe (5'11'', 160 pounds).
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 28
4. Jim Calhoun: Connecticut
12 of 15
The highest paid state employee overcame health issues and NCAA investigations to lead the program back on top with a national championship in 2011.
Though they experienced a dip in win production a few years ago, Calhoun has a knack for picking up major recruits around the nation.
Emeka Okafor (2004 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player) was one of largest recruits he has landed that set the dynasty in motion for him in the middle of the last decade.
Now, thanks to the grit of Kemba Walker, who led the team from the point guard position, the Huskies are now crowned national champions for the third time in his tenure.
Though UConn has a history of producing great recruiting classes, this year's was a little disappointing with only Four-star recruit Ryan Boatright out of Aurora, Ill., being the only headliner.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: Not Ranked
3. Roy Williams: North Carolina
13 of 15
After taking the Kansas coaching position in 1988, Roy Williams terrorized the Big XII conference for over a decade.
With a tenacious defense and the recruitment of shooters such as Kirk Hinrich, Kansas led the nation in goal percentage and scoring in 2002 along with the scoring margin during the 2003 season.
Williams then took over the position at North Carolina in 2005, not to miss a beat winning the national championship.
Williams then captured another national title in 2009 with the likes of Tyler Hansborough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, who obtained the Most Outstanding Player award in the NCAA tournament.
Now, Williams has a special talent on hand named Harrison Barnes. He has a unique ability to slash the lane for his size and creates havoc for defenses around the ACC.
As expected, the 2011 recruiting class came in strong with the signing of five-star power forward James McAdoo (6'8'', 220 pounds) and P.J. Hairston (6'5'', 230 pounds) whose strong point is shooting the three-ball.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 4
2. Mike Krzyzewski: Duke
14 of 15
It was a difficult decision to move him ahead of Roy Williams, but where do I start? JJ Redick, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Trajan Langdon, Grant Hill and former McDonald’s All-American Antonio Lang out of Mobile are just to name a few.
Coach K has been one of the figureheads inside of the college basketball game for over 20 years, leading Duke to four National Championships with his latest coming in 2010.
But did Jalen Rose have a point with his quote during the Fab 5 presentation on ESPN? Does Coach K have a niche for recruiting clean-cut African-American men? I’ve always thought it—it's just that Jalen came out and finally said it.
With Kyrie Irving looking to be one of top picks in this years NBA Draft, will this be a trend Coach K starts the one-and-done deal with five star recruit Austin Rivers?!........Nah.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 2
1. John Calipari: Kentucky
15 of 15
The obvious number one on this list has to be John Calipari. Calipari's style of coaching is contagious to seventeen & eighteen year old kids, and it is becoming more and more obvious has he produces explosive recruiting classes year in and year out.
At Memphis, Calipari produced 2010-2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose along with 4-star guard Chris Douglas Roberts out of Detroit, Michigan. With Rose at the helm, Memphis waltzed into the national title game and blew it down the stretch on free-throws.......free-throws.
After his first few seasons in Lexington, Calipari had a record 5 players drafted in the first round including NBA rookie sensation John Wall. Kudos to Coach Calipari, but at what point will he retain enough talent to win a championship with experience?
Calipari looks to bring in another exciting recruiting class along with 6'9'', 210 pound power forward Terrance Jones. Though Jones lacks a post presence, his aggressiveness will obtain him points inside Kentucky's SEC schedule.
2011 Scout.com Recruiting Ranking: 1
.png?w=480 "NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
