Re-ranking Recruiting Classes: Who are the 25 best players from the Class of 2009?

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July’s live recruiting period is right around the corner, meaning that the Class of 2016 will have a chance to truly prove themselves to the recruiters and the recruitniks around the country. Scholarships will be earned and rankings will be justified over the course of those three weekends in July.

But scholarship offers and rankings don’t always tell us who the best players in a given class will end up being. Ask Steph Curry. Over the course of the coming weeks, we will be re-ranking eight recruiting classes, from 2004-2011, based on what they have done throughout their post-high school career. 

Here are the 25 best players from the Class of 2008, with their final Rivals Top 150 ranking in parentheses:

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Kawhi Leonard (Getty Images)

READ MOREThe complete Re-ranking the Classes series

1. Kawhi Leonard (No. 48): Leonard was a star in Southern California in high school but overlooked by the bigger programs in the state because he was a tweener — a power forward in a shooting guard’s body. He ended up getting picked 15th in the 2011 draft after two seasons at San Diego State, quickly becoming a full-time starter and one of the NBA’s best — and most underrated — players. And he just turned 24.

2. John Wall (No. 1): Wall’s ascension came during the summer before his senior season in college, as he became the nation’s top recruit, spending one season as Kentucky before going No. 1 overall in the 2010 draft. He’s always been able to put up numbers, but it wasn’t until the last two seasons where he was able to get the Wizards to the NBA Playoffs. This year, a broken wrist might have cost him a trip to the conference finals.

3. DeMarcus Cousins (No. 2): Cousins averaged 24.1 points, 12.7 boards, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocks for the Kings last season. He’s a top five talent in the NBA. He’s also never played in a playoff game. I believe “enigmatic” is the PC word to use here.

4. Khris Middleton (No. 140): Middleton played three seasons at Texas A&M before heading off to the NBA. He was a second round pick that played 27 games with Detroit as a rookie. Then, after joining the Bucks, he found his groove, becoming a starting wing that averaged 13.4 points this past season. He just inked a deal with $70 million over the next five years.

5. Derrick Favors (No. 3): Favors has grown into being one of the better young power forwards in the NBA. Still just 23 years old, he averaged 16.0 points and 8.2 boards for the Jazz this past season. Favors was the No. 3 pick in the 2010 draft after playing one season at Georgia Tech.

RELATED: Re-ranking the classes 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008

6. Eric Bledsoe (No. 23): Bledsoe was impressive enough in his one season at Kentucky to get picked 11th in the 2010 NBA Draft. After three seasons backing up Chris Paul with the Clippers, he was traded to the Suns in the deal that brought J.J. Redick to LA. The last two years, he’s averaged 17 points, six assists and five boards.

source: Getty Images
John Wall (Getty Images)

7. Avery Bradley (No. 4): Bradley was underwhelming during his one season at Texas, but it didn’t keep the Celtics from snagging him with the 11th pick in the 2010 draft. He became a starter in his second season and has thrived under Brad Stevens, as he averaged 13.9 points this past season.

8. Mason Plumlee (No. 55): Plumlee was a four-year player at Duke, becoming an all-american during his senior season. He was picked 22nd in the 2013 draft and developed into a starting center for Brooklyn and a member of Team USA at the 2014 World Cup. He’s since been traded to Portland in the deal that brought Steve Blake and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to NYC.

9. Alec Burks (UR): Burks came out of nowhere to turn into a first round pick after two seasons with Colorado. He was averaging 13.9 points as a full-time starter with the Jazz this past year before a shoulder injury ended his season.

10. Lance Stephenson (No. 11): It took Born Ready a while to find a role above the high school level. He ended up at Cincinnati for his one-and-done season and was picked 40th in the 2010 draft. He was a bit player for two years with the Pacers before becoming a key piece during the 2013-14 season, averaging 13.8 points, 7.2 boards and 4.6 assists. He signed with Charlotte for this season, but had a disappointing year.

11. Hassan Whiteside (No. 87): Whiteside went one-and-done after his freshman season at Marshall, but was a second round pick. He played just 19 games with the Kings his first two seasons in the league, then spent two years overseas. But in 2014-15, he made his was back to the NBA and ended up as the starting center for the Miami Heat, averaging 11.8 points, 10.0 boards and 2.6 blocks. Was that a fluke-year?

12. C.J. McCollum (UR): McCollum had a sensational career at Lehigh, becoming an all-american sparking an upset of No. 2 seed Duke in the 2012 NCAA tournament. He was the No. 10 pick in the 2013 draft and has since found a role with the Blazers off the bench. He averaged 17.0 points for Portland in the playoffs this season.

13. Kelly Olynyk (UR): After two years in a bench role and a redshirt junior season, Olynyk exploded on the scene as an all-american in his fourth year at Gonzaga. He’d go on to become a lottery pick and a key piece for the Celtics as they reached the playoffs this season. He averaged 10.3 points and 4.7 boards in his second season in the league.

14. John Henson (No. 5): Henson spent three seasons at North Carolina before turning pro. He was the 14th pick in 2012 and has gone on to become a key front court piece on one of the more promising young teams in the NBA. This past season, he averaged 7.0 points, 4.7 boards and 2.0 blocks in just over 18 minutes.

15. Derrick Williams (UR): Williams went from under-recruited to an all-american in two seasons at Arizona, getting picked second in the 2011 NBA Draft. His career in the NBA has been less-than-stellar through four seasons, as he’s never played for a winning team and has yet to average more than 12.0 points or 5.5 boards in a single season.

source: Getty Images
C.J. McCollum finishes over Miles Plumlee (Getty Images)

16. Thomas Robinson (No. 31): It took him three years to develop at Kansas, but as a junior, Robinson became a first-team all-american and the No. 5 pick in the 2012 draft. In the last three years, he’s bounced around to a handful of teams and has yet to find his role in the NBA. He’s still just 24 years old.

17. Isaiah Canaan (UR): After a two-year run as an all-american at Murray State, Canaan was a second round pick in 2013. He’s last two years in the league, starting 21 games this past season. He was the piece Houston traded to Philly for K.J. McDaniels this season.

18. Solomon Hill (No. 27): Hill spent four seasons at Arizona before getting picked late in the first round by the Indiana Pacers. He ended up starting 78 games this past season, his second in the NBA.

19. Ryan Kelly (No. 20): It took a couple of seasons, but Kelly eventually blossomed into a productive player at the college level. It was his foot injury that played a major role in Duke’s upset loss to No. 15 seed Lehigh in 2012. He’s lasted two years in the NBA as a part-time starter with the Lakers.

20. Greg Smith (No. 93): A college teammate of Paul George at Fresno State, Smith has lasted four seasons in the league as a big body off the bench. He played 70 games in 2012-13 with Houston.

21. Hollis Thompson (No. 63): Thompson, who played three years at Georgetown before turning pro, has been a productive bench player for the last two seasons with Philly.

22. Jordan Hamilton (No. 6): Hamilton lasted two seasons at Texas before heading to the professional ranks. He’s bounced between the NBA and the D-League for the last four years, latching on with the Clippers for 14 games in 2014-15.

23. Xavier Henry (No. 8): Henry was the No. 12 pick in the 2010 draft after spending one season at Kansas. His best season came in 2013-14 with the Lakers, when he averaged 10.0 points in 43 games.

24. Mike Muscala (UR): Muscala was a second round pick in 2013 after a terrific career at Bucknell, and while he’s played just 60 games in two seasons in the NBA, he’s seemingly found a role as a stretch-four for the Atlanta Hawks.

25. Royce White (No. 19): White has an insane amount of ability, as we saw in 2011-12 when he averaged 13.9 points, 9.3 boards and 5.0 assists for Iowa State, leading him to get picked 16th in the 2012 draft. That was the only season where he actually played a full year since leaving high school.

NOTABLES

Renardo Sidney (No. 16)
Demetrius Walker (No. 115)
John Jenkins (No. 15)
Tyler Haws (No. 145)
Peyton Siva (No. 39)
Daniel Orton (No. 22)
Michael Snaer (No. 7)
Cory Jefferson (No. 51)
Travis Wear (No. 60)
Jared Cunningham (N0. 76)
Darius Morris (No. 77)
Erik Murphy (No. 79)
Tim Frazier (No. 109)
Nate Wolters (UR)
Erick Green (UR)

Texas blows out Xavier 83-71 for spot in NCAA Elite Eight

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Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyrese Hunter scored 19 points, Marcus Carr and Christian Bishop added 18 apiece, and second-seeded Texas rolled to an 83-71 victory over No. 3 seed Xavier on Friday night to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years.

Playing most of the way without ailing star Dylan Disu, the Longhorns – the highest seed left after No. 1s Alabama and Houston lost earlier in the night – built a 42-25 lead by halftime. They quickly pushed it past 20 before cruising the rest of the way into a matchup with fifth-seeded Miami on Sunday night for a spot in the Final Four in Houston.

Sir’Jabari Rice had 16 points and Timmy Allen added 11 for the Longhorns (29-8), who kept Souley Boum and the rest of Xavier’s perimeter threats in check while making life miserable for Jack Nunge down low.

Adam Kunkel hit five 3-pointers and led the Musketeers (27-10) with 21 points. Nunge scored 15 but needed 19 shots to get there, while Colby Jones also had 15 points. Boum didn’t hit a field goal until early in the second half and finished with 12 points.

The job the Longhorns did in shutting down Xavier was merely the latest example of some masterful work by interim coach Rodney Terry. The longtime assistant took over in December, when Chris Beard was suspended and later fired over a since-dropped domestic violence charge, and Terry has not only kept the season from falling apart but sent his team soaring.

Things won’t get any easier against Miami, which romped to an 89-75 win over the Cougars.

And especially without Disu, who led the Longhorns to a Big 12 tourney title and earned MVP honors on the same floor just over two weeks ago, and who’d been dominant through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Disu tried to play through a left foot injury that the Longhorns had successfully kept secret Friday night, but he lasted only a couple of minutes before limping off the floor and straight to the locker room. When he returned to the bench, he was wearing a big walking boot, a black hoodie and a grim expression.

Relegated to a 6-foot-9 cheerleader, Disu at least had plenty to celebrate.

Carr got the Longhorns off to a fast start, spinning through the lane like a Tilt-A-Whirl for tough buckets at the rim, and even knocking down a spinning, desperation 3 as the shot clock expired. And when Musketeers coach Sean Miller traded out a man-to-man defense for a zone, the Longhorns began to pound the ball to Bishop in the paint.

With dozens of family and friends on hand, the Creighton transfer from the Kansas City suburb of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, went to work. Bishop threw down one dunk on Carr’s alley-oop lob, then slammed down another a few minutes later.

By the time Allen banked in a half-court heave, the Longhorns had established a 42-25 halftime advantage – and had to be redirected from the Xavier tunnel, where they were busy celebrating, toward their own locker room.

Xavier tried to creep back a couple of times, but the Longhorns never allowed their lead to sniff single digits. And that gave Terry, who returned to Texas after head coaching jobs at Fresno State and UTEP, a chance to breathe deeply and enjoy the moment.

The 54-year-old from the small Texas town of Angleton was on Rick Barnes’ staff the last time the Longhorns reached the Elite Eight, back in 2008. He was on the 2003 staff that guided them all the way to the Final Four, too.

Now, he’s one step away from taking Texas on another improbable trip to college basketball’s biggest stage.

Creighton ends Princeton’s March Madness run with 86-75 win

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Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Creighton used its size, 3-point shooting and a swarming second-half defense to end the March Madness run of Princeton, beating the 15th-seeded Tigers 86-75 on Friday night in the Sweet 16.

The sixth-seeded Bluejays (24-12) advanced to their first regional final since they were part of an eight-team NCAA Tournament in 1941. Creighton will play No. 5 seed San Diego State in Sunday’s South Region final, with each team seeking its first Final Four.

Ryan Kalkbenner, the two-time Big East defensive player of the year, scored 22 points to lead the Bluejays to their sixth win in seven games. Baylor Scheierman made five 3s and finished with 21 points.

“Kalk, he impacts us at the rim on both ends of the floor and defensively provides so much for us,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I thought he really got going late in the first half and carried it over to the second half. Baylor just plays at every level. He can make the mid-range. He shoots the 3. He sees the floor incredibly well, and believe it or not, he’s become a pretty good defender.”

The Tigers (23-9) were led by Ryan Langborg with 26 points and Ivy League player of the year Tosan Evbuomwan with 24 points, six rebounds and nine assists.

Princeton shook up brackets everywhere by beating No. 2 seed Arizona in the first round, then blew out seventh-seeded Missouri last weekend in Sacramento, California.

Playing in its first Sweet 16 since 1967, Princeton was hoping to become the first Ivy League champion to make the Elite Eight since Penn’s Final Four run in 1979, the first Tigers squad to reach the Final Four since Bill Bradley led them there in 1965, and the second straight No. 15 seed to play in a regional final. Saint Peter’s last year became the first 15 seed to achieve that feat.

Princeton’s offense bore no resemblance to the back-cutting, deliberate style that defined the late Pete Carril’s coaching tenure. Instead, the Tigers went toe to toe against Creighton’s fast-paced offense until they stalled out at the start of the second half.

Creighton used a 9-2 run to take 56-45 lead, a four-minute stretch during which Princeton coach Mitch Henderson called two timeouts and Evbuomwan drew his third foul.

The Bluejays just wouldn’t stop. When Princeton cut the deficit to 61-52, Creighton answered with seven more points and the Tigers couldn’t get closer than seven points after that.

“Princeton’s really good at establishing their pace, so you’ve just got to take them out of it,” Kalkbrenner said. “Their whole goal is to take us out of our pace.”

After beating North Carolina State and third-seeded Baylor in Denver last weekend, drawing confidence from not needing oxygen masks like their opponents, Creighton eliminated the suddenly popular Ivy Leaguers. Now, the Bluejays are one win away from the national semifinals.

“It’s been amazing, it’s been a dream come true. This is why I came to Creighton in the first place, to make a run with this group of guys,” Scheierman said. “It’s just been an incredible experience. I’m looking forward to continuing that on Sunday.”

Miami beats No. 1 seed Houston; all four top NCAA seeds out

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nijel Pack and Miami hit shots from near and far against the stingiest defense in the country to beat Houston 89-75 on Friday night in the Sweet 16, leaving the NCAA Tournament without a single No. 1 seed among its final eight teams for the first time since seeding began in 1979.

Miami (28-7), only the fifth team this season to score at least 70 points against Houston (33-4), will play second-seeded Texas or No. 3 seed Xavier in the Midwest Region final for the chance to go to the Final Four.

About 30 minutes before Houston’s loss, top overall seed Alabama fell to San Diego State in Louisville, Kentucky. Fellow No. 1 seeds Purdue and Kansas lost during the tournament’s first weekend.

The fifth-seeded Hurricanes reached a regional final for the second straight year just a few hours after Miami’s ninth-seeded women’s team hung on to beat Villanova and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time. Miami and UConn are the only schools with teams remaining in both tournaments.

This is the first time in three years Houston didn’t make it to the Elite Eight.

The Cougars simply couldn’t stop a multifaceted Miami offense led by Pack’s 3-point shooting. He had season highs of seven 3-pointers on 10 attempts and 26 points.

Isaiah Wong’s mid-range game helped get the ‘Canes out to a fast start, and he finished with 20 points. Jordan Miller hurt the Cougars with his penetration and had 13 points, and Norchad Omier was his usual rugged self under the basket while recording his 16th double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

It resulted in a heartbreaking end for a Cougars team that was in the Sweet 16 for a fourth straight time, had won 15 of its last 16 games and had the season-long goal of playing in next week’s Final Four in its home city.

Miami coach Jim Larrañaga, much to his players’ delight, busted out dance moves in the locker room befitting a 73-year-old man harkening to the disco era. Then Wooga Poplar and Joseph Bensley joined him up front for an impromptu line dance.

Larrañaga will seek his first Final Four with Miami and second overall – he took George Mason there as an 11 seed in 2006.

Miami used a 16-5 run spanning the halves to go up by double digits, with Omier’s three-point play and Jordan Miller’s short bank-in with the left hand making it 47-36 and forcing Houston coach Kelvin Sampson to call timeout less than two minutes into the second half.

Houston battled back to make it a two-point game, but then Pack made three 3s and Miller and Wooga Poplar hit one each to fuel a 16-2 run that put the Canes ahead 70-53. The lead grew to as much as 17 points, and Houston never got closer than 11 the rest of the way.

There was no denying it was Miami’s night after Houston made a mini run with under five minutes to play. With the shot clock running down, Omier was forced to put up a jumper just inside the free-throw line. It bounced off the front of the rim, then the backboard, then the front of the rim again before dropping through. A minute later, Houston’s Jarace Walker missed from point-blank range.

Walker led the Cougars with 16 points. Jamal Shead added 15 and All-American Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark had 14 apiece for the Cougars, who shot just 37% overall and 29% from distance.

Houston – which came into the game as a 7.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook – found itself behind at half for the second straight game after the Hurricanes played their sharpest half of the tournament.

Miami turned the ball over just once the first 20 minutes, converted Miami’s six turnovers into 15 points and shot 6 of 14 from distance against the second-best 3-point defense in the country.

Pack made four of them, and all were timely. His first three gave Miami leads and his fourth broke a 31-all tie.

San Diego State ousts No. 1 overall seed Alabama from NCAAs

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Darrion Trammell and San Diego State used a dominant defensive performance to knock top overall seed Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, bottling up All-America freshman Brandon Miller in a 71-64 victory in the Sweet 16.

Trammell scored 21 points while Miller, whose outstanding season was marred by off-the-court complications, was held to nine points on 3-of-19 shooting and had six turnovers.

The fifth-seeded Aztecs (30-6) will face either Creighton or Princeton on Sunday in the West Region final as they seek their first Final Four in program history. With fellow No. 1 seeds Purdue and Kansas losing during the tournament’s first weekend, Houston – which played Miami on Friday night – was the only top-seeded team remaining.

San Diego State trailed 48-39 midway through the second half before going on a 12-0 run and controlling the game from there. The Aztecs finished with eight blocked shots – five by Nathan Mensah – and forced 14 turnovers.

The March Madness run of Alabama (31-6) was clouded by its response to the Jan. 15 fatal shooting of a 23-year-old woman in Tuscaloosa, which led to capital murder charges against a then-Crimson Tide player, Darius Miles.

Miller was at the scene of the shooting and has not been charged, but police have said in court documents that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun. Authorities have said Miller is a cooperating witness, and he did not miss any playing time. Miller has received armed security protection during the tournament.

Mark Sears had 16 points and Jahvon Quinerly and Charles Bediako scored 10 each for Alabama, which shot 32% overall and a miserable 3 of 27 (11.1%) from 3-point range. The Crimson Tide fell short of the second Elite Eight berth in school history.

“Alabama’s a great team. They have a lot of talented players and individuals,” Trammell said. “We knew it was going to be hard. It was a dogfight. Very physical.”

Sears’ layup got Alabama within 66-64 with 46 seconds remaining, but Matt Bradley made two free throws and Micah Parrish followed by making three of four attempts, including two with 17 seconds left.

Jaedon LeDee finished with 12 points for the Aztecs.

Houston-Miami matchup a battle for respect

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Top-seeded Houston is in the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, but the Cougars don’t feel they receive the proper respect.

Heading into the second weekend of the tournament, that feeling lingers despite the Cougars being just one victory away from their third straight Elite Eight appearance.

“A lot of people were pushing for us to lose,” Houston guard Tramon Mark said. “They didn’t believe we were a real 1 seed because of the conference (American Athletic) we play in. But I think we’re one of the best teams in the country still, and we proved it.”

The Cougars (33-3) look to take the next step when they battle fifth-seeded Miami (27-7) on Friday night in Midwest Region play in Kansas City, Mo.

Houston spent the entire season near the top of the national rankings and surely isn’t a surprise Sweet 16 participant.

“I put ourselves in a whole different category,” forward J’Wan Roberts said. “I don’t compare us to other teams. We just stick to what we do, and it shows. Other No. 1 teams got beat, but we didn’t.”

The Cougars and Alabama are the No. 1 seeds still playing. Purdue lost in the opening round and Kansas fell in the second.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson tries to simplify the approach during March Madness.

“We’ve been here many times in the final 16,” Sampson said. “The next 40 minutes are going to be big. We’ve got to find a way to get the next 40 minutes, and then we’ll move on from there. If not, it’s over.”

Star guard Marcus Sasser (groin) is still gimpy despite scoring 22 points in Saturday’s 81-64 win over Auburn. On Thursday, Sasser proclaimed he will be “around 90 percent” for the game. Teammate Jamal Shead (knee) said he is 100 percent recovered.

Mark scored a career-high 26 points against Auburn.

The Hurricanes are in the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. Last season, they reached the Elite Eight before being routed 76-50 by eventual national champion Kansas.

Star guard Isaiah Wong said it is a great era for the Hurricanes, who are just two victories away from matching the school record.

“It’s just an honor being part of this program, with the history we have,” Wong said. “We have a great team this year and last year too, and I feel like it’s great to see how we came up.

“My first year we wasn’t as good, but for the last two years, we’re going to the Sweet 16, and last year the Elite Eight.”

Still, guard Jordan Miller said that Miami also doesn’t receive the level of respect it should.

“I wouldn’t say underappreciated, but at the end of the day, all we can do is just come out and win basketball games,” Miller said. “I feel like winning a game in itself is a way to get recognition. We’re going to the Sweet 16. That’s a lot of recognition. We don’t necessarily care about what the media says.”

Wong averages a team-best 16.1 points and Miller is right behind at 15.1 Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier both average 13.4 points with the latter collecting a team-leading 10.1 rebounds per game.

Omier grabbed 17 rebounds in Sunday’s 85-69 victory over Indiana. That was a program record for boards in an NCAA Tournament game, surpassing the 14 he collected two nights earlier in a 63-56 victory over Drake.

“If I’m being honest, I really don’t know,” Omier said of his success. “I just like playing with my teammates. They always motivate me to go do what I love to do, and I love rebounding.”

Wong scored 27 points against Indiana.

Miami guard Wooga Poplar, who injured his back against Indiana, has yet to be cleared but will be in the starting lineup if he can play.

Houston holds a 9-5 series edge over Miami but the schools haven’t met in 52 years.

The winner faces either second-seeded Texas or third-seeded Xavier in Sunday’s regional final.