2017 Recruiting Class Could Be The Best Yet

[adoraz]

With SJU picking up a top 100 recruit this week, I had a look at the top team recruiting rankings for 2017. Before I get to that, let's look at all class rankings in the new Big East.

From the site 247 (composite rankings):

2013 Top 50:
#7 Marquette
#32 Villanova
#45 DePaul
#48 Providence
#50 Butler

2014 Top 50:
#7 Georgetown
#16 Seton Hall
#17 Xavier
#20 Providence
#46 Villanova

Same number of teams as 2013's class, however higher rankings on average and a better class overall.

2015 Top 50:
#13 Marquette
#26 Georgetown
#27 St. John's
#30 Villanova

This year's class (freshmen this past year) was a step down from the very strong 2014 class.

2016 Top 50:
#22 Marquette
#23 St. John's
#29 Xavier
#44 Villanova
#45 Butler
#46 Providence

This upcoming class is strong- a new Big East record 6 top 50 teams (and some just outside the top 50) makes this a very balanced class.

Now... for 2017....

http://247sports.com/Season/2017-Basket ... amRankings

2017 Top 50:
#7 Creighton
#21 Seton Hall
#22 St. John's
#23 Villanova
#26 Providence
#37 Xavier
#38 DePaul
#43 Marquette
#50 Butler

9/10 teams in the top 50 (only Georgetown missing). Now yes, the recruiting will obviously change since most of the top recruits haven't declared. I don't expect the Big East to finish with 90% of teams in the top 50. Regardless, we are off to a GREAT start!

Further, of the top 100 basketball recruits in 2017, Big East already has 4. Only 25 have actually declared, meaning Big East has 4 of the top 25 declared players in next year's class. 2016 and 2015 classes had 7 of the top 100. 2014's class, which was very top heavy, had 15 of the top 100. 2013 had 10. Personally, I think the team rankings are a lot more important than the player rankings. This past year's top BE player for example left to the NBA after one year and Marquette didn't make the tournament. In fact, the top player in the entire class didn't help LSU make it, and now he's gone.

http://247sports.com/Season/2017-Basket ... HighSchool

I think the 2017 class could be the best yet. 2014's class was best in terms of top players, and 2016's is arguably best in terms of balance/depth. 2017 could be best in both regards.

[Amase2]

Good stuff. Good league.

[GoldenWarrior11]

There must be some mistake. I seem to recall reading that the New Big East was doomed - that it would be unable to recruit big names without ESPN coverage and be at a disadvantage against the AAC since it sponsored football, since football "drives the bus." I also seem to recall that our bunch of "small-time Catholic schools" had no business competing against true college athletic programs and we had zero, absolutely zero, chance of ever winning another National Championship. We were "leaches" after all.



Can't wait to watch the AAC implode and see the hysteria from these same "fans" of ours.

[DudeAnon]

I hate to pull a stever20, but those rankings are seriously inflated because the top recruits haven't committed yet.

[Jet915]

Interesting observation that Marquette has had the top class 3 of last 4 years yet haven't made the NCAAs during that time....

[adoraz]

I hate to pull a stever20, but those rankings are seriously inflated because the top recruits haven't committed yet.

Take a closer look at the numbers. I called this out in the OP, but with 25% of the total 100 committed, results mean something. Big East already has 6 four star recruits in 2017. In 2016, a very successful year, we had 1 five star and 12 four star in the entire class (including teams that finished outside the top 50). In 2015, the entire class had 2 five star and 9 four star.

So by your own logic, the top recruits haven't committed, yet we already have half the "top tier" recruits we had the last couple seasons.

Assuming most Big East teams aren't done recruiting yet, so we should finish with a really strong class.

[DudeAnon]

I hate to pull a stever20, but those rankings are seriously inflated because the top recruits haven't committed yet.

Take a closer look at the numbers. I called this out in the OP, but with 25% of the total 100 committed, results mean something. Big East already has 6 four star recruits in 2017. In 2016, a very successful year, we had 1 five star and 12 four star in the entire class (including teams that finished outside the top 50). In 2015, the entire class had 2 five star and 9 four star.

So by your own logic, the top recruits haven't committed, yet we already have half the "top tier" recruits we had the last couple seasons.

Assuming most Big East teams aren't done recruiting yet, so we should finish with a really strong class.

I am not really concerned so won't go to the trouble of looking up all the stats. But taking a quick look at the ESPN 100 shows that the dataset isn't even close to finished. So its probably best to judge after these kids have committed.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... errankings

[adoraz]

I hate to pull a stever20, but those rankings are seriously inflated because the top recruits haven't committed yet.

Take a closer look at the numbers. I called this out in the OP, but with 25% of the total 100 committed, results mean something. Big East already has 6 four star recruits in 2017. In 2016, a very successful year, we had 1 five star and 12 four star in the entire class (including teams that finished outside the top 50). In 2015, the entire class had 2 five star and 9 four star.

So by your own logic, the top recruits haven't committed, yet we already have half the "top tier" recruits we had the last couple seasons.

Assuming most Big East teams aren't done recruiting yet, so we should finish with a really strong class.

I am not really concerned so won't go to the trouble of looking up all the stats. But taking a quick look at the ESPN 100 shows that the dataset isn't even close to finished. So its probably best to judge after these kids have committed.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/baske ... errankings

Well I mean I just told you the facts, it's pretty clear. We already have roughly half the 4/5 star recruits we had in 2015 and 2016, and as you know there's a lot of time left. No harm in saying we're doing well so far. Unless recruiting completely falls off the next 10 months we should finish with a very strong class.

247 is a composite ranking of all ranking sites, including ESPN, so it is a better source than just ESPN. Even on the ESPN list though, we still have 3 of 27 that have declared. And Zach Brown, who just committed to SJU, is a 4 star revruit with an 82 score (same score as the last half dozen in the top 100), so he has to be right outside the top 100.

[stever20]

way too early to look at team ratings. I mean- Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas have no recruits yet.

Also just looking at ESPN's top 50- only 12 have committed. Those 38 will make a HUGE difference obviously. With some of them, you get 1 of them, you are in the top 50 even it that's it.

[adoraz]

way too early to look at team ratings. I mean- Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas have no recruits yet.

Also just looking at ESPN's top 50- only 12 have committed. Those 38 will make a HUGE difference obviously. With some of them, you get 1 of them, you are in the top 50 even it that's it.

This one is easy... only 2 AAC teams in the top 50. LOL!

Don't like the team aspect? Fine, we can look at the top players. I'll repeat myself:

2017: 6 four stars
2016: 1 five star and 12 four stars
2015: 2 five stars and 9 four stars

And that's with a lot of time left in 2017 and 75% of the top 100 players still undeclared. We should have a great class yet again this year, very possibly the best we've had.

Bonus: AAC in 2017 has zero four or five star players.