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MOST FIVE-STAR RECRUITS SINCE SEAN MILLER HIRE IN 2009
Source: Scout.com. NT-National titles.
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Sean Miller’s three 5-star recruits in the Class of 2015 solidifies his spot among the elite recruiters in college basketball (TBS screen shot)
“Two qualities we love about this class are that each member is a high-character individual and the fact that their qualities on the court complement each other very well.”
— Sean Miller, Arizona coach
In his first three recruiting classes at Arizona, Miller not only recruited against the nation’s elite, he tried to overcome the perception that his program was still in search of itself in the post-Lute Olson era.
Moreover, Miller did not bring with him from Xavier a history of recruiting 4-star players, let alone 5-star.
In the last four years, the program has transformed from being off-the-radar in the 5-star realm of recruiting to being off-the-chart.
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Sean Miller goes in-depth with Scout about Arizona's No. 1 recruiting class | Story: http://t.co/iaA8EfX6Iu pic.twitter.com/4XniWp3qrj
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) November 13, 2014
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Signing three unanimous 5-star prospects over the last two days, and a respectable 4-star player in center Chance Comanche, Miller reaffirmed his standing as being one of the elite recruiters in college basketball.
“Often, there’s pressure to employ somebody with connections to a certain school or, at least, a certain region,” CBSSports.com analyst Gary Parrish wrote during the evaluation period in July. “But Miller’s success at Arizona proves a coaching star will flourish no matter how his past relates to his present.
“Sean Miller? I think he’d kill it anywhere.”
The 5-star players in the Class of the 2015 include small forward Ray Smith of Las Vegas (Nev.) High School, shooting guard Allonzo Trier of Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep and point guard Justin Simon of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy.
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Additional 5-star prospects may sign with Miller’s program in the spring. Las Vegas Bishop Gorman post player Stephen Zimmerman and Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O’Dowd power forward Ivan Rabb have the Wildcats among their finalists.
Scout.com’s Evan Daniels asked Miller if this is already his best class.
“I think time will tell, but it has the makings of a special group,” Miller told Daniels. “They can all be on the court together and a lot of times that aids in the progress and I think they can grow together.”
Miller inked only one 5-star recruit, point guard Josiah Turner, in his first classes of 2009, 2010 and 2011. In that same span, Kentucky’s John Calipari signed 10 5-star recruits. North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Texas’ Rick Barnes were next with five, followed by Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski (4).
Former Arizona player and assistant coach Josh Pastner had three with Memphis, as did Florida’s Billy Donovan and former North Carolina State coach Sidney Lowe.
Justin Simon shows good form on his jumper when he is not attacking the hoop (Robert Scot/VirlVideo.com/Special to AllSportsTucson.com)
Since the recruitment of the Class of 2012, Miller deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with Calipari and Krzyzewski when it comes to attracting the highest-rated prospects. No one else comes close, not even Williams (three 5-star signees in the last four years) or Kansas’ Bill Self (five).
Calipari has 14 5-star signees in the last four recruiting classes, followed by 11 by Krzyzewski and nine by Miller.
Calipari and Krzyzewski combine for 61 years of coaching and two national titles since Miller was hired by Arizona in 2009. Miller is in his 11th season as a head coach, sixth at Arizona. He has no titles or trips to the Final Four yet.
Recruiting the elite puts him in a better position to accomplish those feats against the likes of Calipari and his factory at Kentucky.
The battle now is to keep pace with the elite in the face of losing that quality 5-star talent to the lure of the NBA, something Calipari is confronted with every year.
“This is an important class for us, as we’re bracing for and expect a number of underclassmen on this year’s team to pursue professional careers,” Miller said in a statement release by Arizona. “With the combination of seniors and underclassmen we will lose after this season, this class is significant in many ways.
“Two qualities we love about this class are that each member is a high-character individual and the fact that their qualities on the court complement each other very well.”
ARIZONA’S BASKETBALL RECRUITS 2002-2015 RATING
Source: Scout.com. *-Never attended Arizona. **-Lute Olson on leave of absence.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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