Duke Basketball: Grading the Last Five Recruiting Classes for the Blue Devils

Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils have constantly been an elite team because of his and his staff's ability to recruit. Their last five classes have been key to their 2010 National Championship and their current success.

Bringing in recruits like Austin Rivers, Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and more, Duke has maintained their level of prestige and made it to 16 straight NCAA tournaments.

During the last five years, Duke has made it to three Sweet Sixteens and won one NCAA tournament because of their recruits.

The last five classes have been vital, and it's time we give Coach K and his staff a grade for each year.

Note: Grades are based off of how high each recruit is ranked, how the recruits turned out, how long each recruit stayed and what impact they had on the program. Certain grades will change as it has not been long enough to definitively grade each player.

2007 (A-)

Recruits (Class Rank): SF Kyle Singler (No. 4), SG Nolan Smith (No. 6), SF Taylor King (No. 16)

When Coach K brought in the 2007 recruiting class, we knew it would be a great one. With two players in the top six and three of the top 16, the expectations were high.

Two of the three players fulfilled expectations, but Taylor King was a letdown. King played only one year at Duke, averaging 5.5 points in 9.7 minutes per game. King had great range and could have been a scoring threat, but he then transferred to Villanova.

The other two, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, led the team to four NCAA tournaments, two Sweet Sixteens and one National Championship.

Singler was a great player who averaged 16.2 points per game for his career after being an immediate contributor as a freshman. Smith started slowly at 5.9 points per game but averaged 20.7 per game as a senior.

These two studs played all four years and made up for Duke losing King. This class earns an A-.

2008 (D-)

Recruits (Class Rank): SG Elliot Williams (No. 18), PF Miles Plumlee (No. 47), PF Olek Czyz (No. 87)

Duke's 2008 recruiting class was slightly above average but didn't pan out. Not a single one of these players was as good as expected, and two left the team early.

Starting with shooting guard Elliot Williams, the team lost its best player after only one year. Williams transferred to Memphis after averaging 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a freshman.

Williams did almost nothing for Duke, then transferred and is now in the NBA. Unfortunately he did not do any of this with Duke and was a huge letdown for fans.

Power forward Olek Czyz played only two season for the Blue Devils before transferring to Nevada. He scored a total of 23 points in two seasons, and did not do much for Coach K's squad.

Miles Plumlee is still with the team and is a senior this season. Miles hasn't lived up to his expectations as a top-50 recruit, averaging less than seven points and six rebounds per game in a season. He has been a role player at best and has even lost his starting role as a senior.

This class didn't pan out at all and Coach K was unlucky to have all three players flop.

2009 (B)

Recruits (Class Rank): C Mason Plumlee (No. 10), PF Ryan Kelly (No. 17)

While Duke gained four players in 2009, Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry were not technically recruits and cannot be counted toward this list.

However, Mason Plumlee is an NBA talent who is in his junior season this year. He is averaging 12.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season and is arguably the best big man on the team.

Mason has surpassed his older brother Miles from the previous class and has set the bar high for younger brother Marshall.

Plumlee has been about as good as expected and should have a great senior season if he returns.

Ryan Kelly is also a junior, averaging 12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He is arguably one of Duke's best scoring threats.

Kelly's lanky 6'11" stature spelled trouble, but he has worked around it to become a great player.

While Coach K would have needed another recruit to earn a A here, he deserves a B for getting two good recruits. If they both come back for good senior seasons, it could be an A.

2010 (C+)

Recruits (Class Rank): PG Kyrie Irving (No. 3), PF Josh Hairston (No. 19), PG Tyler Thornton (NR)

Although players from the 2010 class are only sophomores now, it's fair game to judge them if we anticipate how their careers will play out.

Kyrie Irving's Duke career is over as he is now in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Irving was ranked third in the class and played only 11 games with Duke, but the fact that Coach K recruited a top-three recruit helps keep the class afloat.

Josh Hairston was a top-25 recruit but he is doing very little for the Blue Devils. Hairston averages just over two points and two rebounds per game, but he should get more playing time once some of the upperclassmen graduate.

Unfortunately, Hairston will have to wait until he is a senior to have most of Duke's talented players leave, so he will only have one good season.

Tyler Thornton is in the same boat as Josh Hairston, although possibly worse. Thornton is not as talented as Hairston, and he plays guard. Duke is very deep at the guard position and not only does he have older competitors, but freshman Quinn Cook should one day overtake him.

This class is below average, especially for Coach K's high standards.

2011 (B+)

Recruits (Class Rank): SG Austin Rivers (No. 3), SF Michael Gbinije (No. 29), C Marshall Plumlee (No. 35), PG Quinn Cook (No. 48), SF Alex Murphy (No. 41)

Not only does this class have five great recruits, a few may be at Duke for five years.

Austin Rivers is an elite player right now who leads Duke in scoring with 15.8 points per game. He also averages 2.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, and he is a future NBA player. Unfortunately, he will probably only be in Durham for this season.

Michael Gbinije and Quinn Cook have not had a lot of playing time, but they are both talented players who will come into their own one day. These guys will surely have a few good seasons with Duke, but fans must be patient and think ahead.

Speaking of thinking ahead, Marshall Plumlee and Alex Murphy both red-shirted this season. This is probably the right decision for both players, as they needed another year to grow and they now have four years left to dominate.

This recruiting class seems disappointing right now, but will be able to carry this team in the future.

Josh Schoch is an aspiring sportswriter dedicated to bringing you everything related to college basketball, college football, the NBA, NFL, MLB and much more. Follow him on Twitter.