start of the early signing period for the high school class of 2015 is rapidly approaching, and teams across the country are filling out their classes. Sean Miller and Arizona keep a tight hold on the top spot of the team rankings, but Billy Kennedy and Texas A&M are entering new territory at No. 2 in the class of 2015 team rankings.
There can’t be many outside of the basketball offices in College Station, Texas, who saw this Aggies class coming. Truth be told, even A&M staff members couldn’t have expected that things would be working out so well for them on the recruiting trail. After adding five-star big man Elijah Thomas, Kennedy and his staff have landed a terrific class made up entirely from players who hail from the Dallas area.
Notably missing from this edition of the team rankings are traditional recruiting powers Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. Both the Jayhawks and Tar Heels are still waiting to land their first commitment from the class of 2015, while the Wildcats have only a commitment from No. 57 Charles Matthews. All three of them are involved with many of the same highly ranked prospects, and there is little doubt that they will each end up landing their share of highly regarded players. In the meantime, others are making their moves.
Thanks in large part to the addition of five-star combo forward Henry Ellenson, Marquette has rocketed up to No. 7 overall. Steve Wojciechowski’s first recruiting class features three prospects from the state of Wisconsin who all rank in the Rivals150.
The largest early class from a numbers standpoint belongs to Washington. Lorenzo Romar and the Huskies currently have six commitments, and it is a case of both quality and quantity. Four of their five high school commitments are ranked in the Rivals150, while Malik Dime is regarded as one of the top junior college big-man prospects.
The Pac-12 doesn’t just boast the top overall recruiting class in Arizona, it leads the way with six teams in the current top 25. The ACC is close behind with four of their its teams landing in the top six of the team rankings. The SEC and the Big Ten have four teams each in the top 25, the Big East has three, the AAC two, and the Mountain West places San Diego State.
CLASS OF 2015 TEAM RANKINGS
ARIZONA Sean Miller and his staff are putting together a monster class in 2015. Smith is a high flying wing with huge upside but will miss his senior year due to an ACL injury. Trier is a big time scorer and Simon is a utility guard who can play multiple positions. Comanche is a slender faceup post player who can shoot and has upside.
TEXAS A&M Billy Kennedy and the Aggies have made big waves on the recruiting trail. Thomas and Davis are both big and strong, have scoring touch and rebound at a high rate. Hogg has outstanding size for the wing and is one of the nation’s premier jump shooters while Gilder is a steady two guard who can really defend.
DUKE The Blue Devils class only has two players so far but they are both five-star prospects. Jeter is a big man who can alter shots and score via the jump hook while Kennard is a strong southpaw and one of the nation’s more dangerous jump shooters.
LOUISVILLE Rick Pitino is having little trouble attracting talent to the Ville. Mitchell is a strong and athletic guard coming off of a big summer while Spalding has added some consistency to go with his size and skill. Adel is a mid range scorer who may be able to play some at the four as well.
SYRACUSE In Richardson, the Orange have landed one of the most confident offensive players in 2015. Lydon is a thin face up four man who can shoot while Diagne is rugged in the post. Howard is a tall guard rounding into shape after tearing his ACL a year ago.
FLORIDA STATE Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles have put together one heck of a recruiting effort. Their 2015 class is rich with wing talent and is headlined by Bacon a big, physical and athletic five-star. Beasley is an explosive athlete and wing scorer while Mann is a versatile wing who does a little bit of everything. Koumadje is a skinny but mobile and athletic 7-foot-4 big man with upside.
MARQUETTE Things seem to be going well for Steve Wojciechowski in his first season of recruiting. He landed a big time scorer in Ellenson who is a five-star prospect. Cheatham is a highly versatile guard who can play all three positions along the perimeter. Both Noskowiak and Heldt are from Wisconsin and play with an edge.
OHIO STATE The Buckeyes have a dangerous shooter and one of the most confident scorers in the 2015 class in Grandstaff. Giddens is a standout post defender with developing offense while Harris makes up for being undersized with competitive fire. After de-committing at the end of the summer, Mitchell re-joined the Buckeyes after an official visit.
WASHINGTON The Huskies have been busy in the class of 2015 having already landed a six man class. The athletic and quick Chris and rangy and versatile Chriss and Murray headline the class. Thybulle is a versatile wing who hails from Seattle just like the sharp shooting Crisp (and Murray). Dime is considered one of the top junior college big men while Duruisseau is a big bodied prep schooler who initially committed to San Jose State as a member of the class of 2014.
AUBURN Bruce Pearl isn’t wasting any time putting his mark on the Auburn program. Spencer is a high energy big with athleticism while Purifoy is a bruising wing. Reed signed with Maryland in 2014 but will go to prep school while sorting out legal issues and there is a chance he makes it to campus by December of 2014. Williams is a big time athlete who missed his junior season with a knee injury while Dunans is one of the most highly regarded scorers in junior college basketball.
FLORIDA The Gators continue to roll along adding solid players each year. When he committed, Allen was known as a defender and transition finisher but he has proven to have more offensive weapons. Dickerson is strong and solid in the post. Stone is a year young for the class of 2015 and has perimeter skill while fellow Floridian Hayes is an athletic big with a live body and long term potential.
MICHIGAN STATE The Spartans have high hopes for Davis. The in-state product has length, athleticism and soft touch to go along with plenty of still untapped potential. After initially committing to SMU, McQuaid reconsidered and chose to take his deep jump shooting to East Lansing. Ahrens is a tough, blue collar wing working his way back from a junior season injury.
CONNECTICUT The Huskies class only features two players at this point but they are both capable of making an instant impact as freshman. Adams is a high scoring and athletic point guard while Enoch is a homegrown big man who is still new to the game and improving rapidly.
VILLANOVA Jay Wright landed a stud point guard when Brunson elected to spend his college years in Philly. Divincenzo is an athletic off guard who plays with flair while Delaney is a big man with shooting touch.
MEMPHIS Josh Pastner has a serious package deal cooking in the class of 2015. Both of assistant coach Keelon Lawson’s sons are onboard. High scoring Dedric made the move from the class of 2016 to 2015 while his brother K.J. is a hard working small forward who plays with toughness.
ILLINOIS The Illini made up serious ground late to land one of the class of 2015’s best shooters, Coleman-lands. The other two Illini commits are in-state prospects. Williams is a good sized wing who specializes in shooting mid range jumpers while Jordan is a good shooter from beyond the three point line.
UCLA Steve Alford has proven that he is no slouch on the recruiting trail. In Ali and Holiday he has a pair of physical and athletic backcourt players who love to attack the rim.
OREGON STATE The first class under the direction of Wayne Tinkle is a runaway success. Thompson is a smooth jump shooter with range while the head coach’s son Tinkle can play the three or the four. Bruce is a long and quick floor general with raw talent while Eubanks is an athletic big who is just starting to get serious about basketball.
WAKE FOREST The trio who have committed to play at Wake should provide a solid foundation down the road. Moore is an immensely talented big man who has been more potential than production to this point while Crawford is a big and athletic point guard. Collins is a year young for the senior class and is a worker in the paint.
USC The Trojans wanted to get more athletic and versatile and they are well on their way. Metu is one of the more athletic big men in the country while Boatwright is a tall wing with deep range capable of playing as a stretch four man if needed.
LSU The Tigers only have one recruit so far, but he’s the best player in the class of 2015. Simmons can score, he rebounds and his stay in Baton Rouge isn’t likely to be an extended one.
GEORGETOWN The Hoyas have recruited a pair of big bodies for 2015. Govan is a true back to the basket scorer while Derrickson is a burly four-man who likes to shoot jumpers out to the three-point line.
MINNESOTA The Gophers wanted backcourt help and they have gotten it. Dorsey isn’t a giant, but he plays with loads of heart and is an off the dribble playmaker. McBrayer is a long and slender score first guy who can play as a shooting or point guard while Johnson is an athletic guard with lots of upside. Nwankwo has good size and Big Ten strength.
STANFORD The Cardinal have landed a nice pair of four-star prospects. Walker is a wing with good size, athleticism and a nice looking jump shot. Sheffield is a thin wing who is more upside than finished product at this time.
SAN DIEGO STATE The Aztecs have picked up a pair of four-stars who look like perfect fits for their style. Hemsley is an aggressive and attacking two-guard, while Jones is a highly mobile and very athletic big man who can block shots and run the floor. [banner_abajo]
—