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National Signing Day: Breaking down the top 10 basketball recruiting classes – 247Sports
Wednesday is the first day that the class of 2023 can put pen to paper and officially pledge their allegiance to the college programs they’ve previously made verbal commitments to. As the early signing period begins, first-year head coach Jon Scheyer’s Duke program is holding onto the top spot in the team rankings. However, a familiar foe for the Blue Devils is chasing hard and there’s a chance that John Calipari and Kentucky could overtake them sooner than later. On National Signing Day, we take a look at the top 10 recruiting classes for 2023 based on the industry generated 247Sports Composite team rankings.
2023 COMPOSITE TEAM RANKINGS
The class: Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 5), Sean Stewart (No. 8), Caleb Foster (No. 9), TJ Power (No. 22) and Jared McCain (No. 26).
The skinny: He’s got a fight to hold onto the top spot ahead of him, but it’s hard not to be impressed with the class that Jon Scheyer has put together during his first season at the helm of Duke.
Not only is this a talented Duke class, it is an interesting class because of the positional breakdowns. Mgbako, Stewart and Power are all currently rated as power forwards while Foster is a point guard and McCain is a combo guard. Surely, there are many reading this now who are wondering how three four men fit together in the same class and it is certainly something that opposing fans whose schools were trying to land any of those three guys found confusing. However, there is a path for them to all get a fair amount of playing time as freshmen.
Both Mgbako and Power can play as big wings or small-ball four men. Power is the better shooter and maybe even a slightly better rebounder while Mgbako has more low post game and is probably a little more versatile defensively. It isn’t impossible to think those two can play at the same time. As for Stewart, he’s one of the best defenders in the class of 2023. While he’d be slightly undersized at the five, he’s strong and explosive enough to defend there and would certainly hold his own rebounding. Bottom line, they believed in what Scheyer had to say about them playing together so opposing views don’t matter at this point.
As for Foster and McCain, they are both offensive-minded scorers with evolving games. Foster is a more punishing, physical guard who can get on runs from deep. McCain is the better shooter, but he’s adding to his ability to read defenses and spend stretches at the point.
The class: Justin Edwards (No. 3), Aaron Bradshaw (No. 4), Robert Dillingham (No. 13) and Reed Sheppard (No. 44).
The skinny: All that John Calipari and his Kentucky program needs to pull ahead of Duke in the team rankings race is to secure a commitment from the country’s No. 2 ranked player, DJ Wagner. It seems likely that Wagner will eventually chooses the Wildcats, but he’s allegedly been close to doing so multiple times over the past few months. So, you can never be 100% sure. With or without Wagner, this is an impressive class that is proof of Calipari’s still considerable muscle on the recruiting trail.
The highest ranked of the current bunch is Edwards, a wing scorer who loves to attack off the dribble. He’s more than capable of making shots from deep and from the mid-range. He’s also going to work to add to his lean frame. Coming out of the summer, Bradshaw was given legitimate consideration for the No. 1 overall spot. The seven-footer can really move from end to end, is a high-level rim protector and has shown promising signs as a scorer. Speaking of scoring, there’s no doubt that Dillingham can score in bunches. He’s not the biggest of guards, but he’s electric with the ball in his hands and puts up points in a hurry. Sheppard is a homegrown kid whose parents played at Kentucky. He’ll eventually be expected to beef up the Wildcats shooting from deep.
The class: Xavier Booker (No. 6), Jeremy Fears (No. 33), Coen Carr (No. 45) and Gehrig Normand (No. 94).
The skinny: Well look at this, Tom Izzo has Michigan State right back up among the top classes in the country as he proves that he’s still one of the very best in the game at all aspects of running a program.
The state of Indiana has been pretty good to the Spartans over the years. Michigan State has continued this trend by dipping into the Hoosier State for the crowned jewel of their class, Booker. Booker’s not always the most consistent performer, but the big man is skilled, athletic, can really run the floor and has all of the tools that are coveted in front court players at the highest level. As he adds strength, he could be a problem on both ends of the floor. In Fears, they’ve landed one of the most competitive point guards in the class and his natural leadership skills will be appreciated. In Carr, we might be looking at the next Branden Dawson-type combo forward who skies for dunks, plays with physicality and has a level of nasty that has always worked at Michigan State. To round out the class, they went all the way down to the state of Texas for Normand — a shooter with good size for a wing and excellent ball skills.
The class: Stephon Castle (No. 23), Solomon Ball (No. 38), Jaylin Stewart (No. 78), Youssouf Singare (No. 120) and Jayden Ross (No. 134).
The skinny: Talk about an impressive early effort, Dan Hurley and his staff have put in some serious work in Storrs to land a top five recruiting class for Connecticut.
A product of Georgia, Castle is a potential McDonald’s All-American who has tremendous size for a guard and understands how to use his body to finish through contact. Castle is capable of playing point guard, shooting guard or even small forward in some line ups. That versatility is huge. A guy that 247Sports is higher on than the rest of the recruiting industry is Solomon Ball. Ball is a long-armed two guard who is capable of going on explosive scoring runs. He’s also got a terrific frame with broad shoulders to go along with his long arms. Hailing from Seattle, Stewart is a crafty and skilled forward that can play at the three or four. He is the first player from the Emerald City to pick UConn since Doug Wrenn in the late 90s. In Singare and Ross, the Huskies have a pair of developmental prospect. Singare is an offensively raw big man who blocks shots and helps control the glass while Ross is a forward with upside as a shooter and athlete.
The class: Taison Chatman (No. 31), Devin Royal (No. 46), Scotty Middleton (No. 47) and Austin Parks (3-star).
The skinny: Chris Holtmann isn’t the type of guy to beat his own chest, put out a bunch of slick social media propaganda or call attention to himself. But, he and his staff have been finding ways to get the job done in the class of 2023.
Despite missing most of the summer due to injury, Chatman is a major get. Capable of playing at the one or the two, the Minnesota native has good size for a lead guard, makes others better and can also score and rebound well for his position. A local prospect, Royal is a big time winner. And at 6-foot-6, he’s a matchup problem who can play at either the three or the four. He could also become a real leader in the locker room. Middleton has also won big on the high school level. He’s a long wing who is quite versatile on the defensive end. Another homegrown product is Austin Parks. Parks is a big man who has shooting ability and a body to build on. They’ll be able to develop Parks into a reliable contributor over the next few seasons.
The class: Omaha Biliew (No. 15), Milan Momcilovic (No. 37), Kayden Fish (No. 144) and Jelani Hamilton (3-star).
The skinny: Well hello there T.J. Otzelberger. When he came back to Iowa State (where he had been successful as an assistant) from UNLV, the thought was that he’d eventually be able to jump start the Cyclones recruiting. Mission accomplished in the class of 2023.
A five-star prospect and potential McDonald’s All-American, Biliew is a local product who was made a recruiting priority from day one. He’s among the most versatile and athletic defenders in the country. He finishes lobs, creates mismatches as a combo forward and is really just scratching at the surface of his long-term potential. Another player who the ‘Clones were in on early is Milan Momcilovic. Momcilovic will arrive in Ames with a deep bag of skilled offensive moves and the ability to rebound at a high rate. He’ll need to get stronger, but his acumen for scoring is well above average. Fish isn’t as highly celebrated as his summer teammate Biliew, but make no mistake he’s a big-time winner, program culture guy and dude that will find his way onto the floor. Yet, the X factor of the class is Hamilton. Jelani Hamilton is a big two guard who has scoring instincts, but he needs to become more efficient.
The class: Mookie Cook (No. 10), Kwame Evans Jr. (No. 11) and Jackson Shelstad (No. 57).
The skinny: Dana Altman always has Oregon in the mix with some of the nation’s top players and as the early signing period kicks off he’s led the Ducks to the top ranked class in the Pac-12 and on the West Coast.
Cook is a prodigal son of sorts. He may have left his home in Portland to play his final two years of high school ball in Arizona, but he’s headed back to college. He committed, de-committed and then committed again. But, the quasi drama should prove to be worth it. He’s a big wing who can playmaker for others, plays with athleticism and is very versatile on the defensive end. He’s got some young Andre Igoudala in his game. As for Evans, there aren’t many in the class who have his high of a ceiling for improvement. He moves incredibly well for a 6-foot-10 kid and has tremendous instincts on defense. He could eventually turn into a big man who can stretch the floor or make some plays off the bounce. As for Shelstad, he’s another who is headed to his home state school. He is a tough floor general, plays with confidence, makes pull-up jumpers and simply makes those around him better.
The class: Freddie Dilione (No. 24), JP Estrella (No. 51), Cameron Carr (No. 87) and Cade Phillips (3-star).
The skinny: Rick Barnes and Tennessee have closed strong with their 2023 class, adding their top three commits since the end of the summer.
An explosive scorer who can play at the point or the two, Dilione was one of the summer’s biggest risers. He went from unranked in the spring to the top 25 by the early fall. He’s got size, confidence and just knows how to put the ball in the hole from all three levels. Estrella is another prospect who saw his stock rise quickly. As a skilled big man who understands how to play on the low block, Estrella also went from unranked in the spring to just one spot outside of the national top 50. There’s a theme developing here, because the Vols’ most recent addition, Cameron Carr, was unranked headed into the summer and now rates among the top 100 in his class. Carr is the son of an NBA player who has length, athleticism and skill. He could turn into one of those guys who continues to rise or outplays his ranking. The final member of the class is Phillips. He is a bouncy big man who can run the floor and has a lean frame that he’ll be looking to work on upon his arrival in Knoxville.
The class: Mikey Williams (No. 19), JJ Taylor (No. 117), Carl Cherenfant (No. 126), Ryan Forrest (3-star) and David Tubek (3-star).
The skinny: It took a little while for Penny Hardaway and Memphis to get going in the class of 2023, but they’ve been prowling the country’s top talent over the last month or so.
Just last weekend, they picked up a commitment from arguably the most well-known high school player in the country, Mikey Williams. Williams is an explosive guard out of San Diego who has a massive following. He’s a strong, aggressive and an evolving combo guard who is showing a growing feel for the game. He was joined on his visit to Memphis by his new high school teammate JJ Taylor and the big wing decided to commit as well. Taylor is a five-star prospect early in the cycle who has seen his ranking drop over the last year. Still, Taylor holds a lot of upside. He is an athlete who is a legitimate wing and has a lot of room to grow into his body. Carl Cherenfant is a 6-foot-5 athlete who plays with tremendous effort. He has all of the tools to be an elite defender at the college level. Forrest is another electric athlete in the backcourt who can attack the rim while Tubek is a muscular combo forward.
The class: Elmarko Jackson (No. 18), Jamari McDowell (No. 42) and Chris Johnson (No. 49).
The skinny: Coming off of his second National Championship at Kansas, it isn’t a surprise that Bill Self has been able to land a talented recruiting class. However, there were some hurdles to overcome as the Jayhawks elected to keep him and Kurtis Townsend off the road while they await a decision on their pending case with the NCAA.
From the minute they saw Jackson in the spring, he became an absolute must for Jayhawk staff. A strong and physical combo guard who attacks the rim, Jackson competes on both ends and has tremendous leadership skills. He looks like a perfect fit for KU and should be an instant contributor. Hailing from Texas, McDowell is a late-bloomer. He entered the spring unranked before ending up a guy that 247 and the Jayhawks are quite high on. He can play some at all three perimeter spots and is a lengthy athlete with upside. Yet, perhaps the most naturally gifted player of KU’s perimeter heavy three-man class is Chris Johnson. Johnson is an explosive scorer who can make shots from deep, use his size at the rim and make high-level reads as a passer. He’s starting to figure out how to play with more control. If he continues to do that, then he could see his ranking climb rapidly throughout his senior season.
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