AMISH-SLAYER
Cobra Kai Sensei
I started to think about it, and who I could compare this class to. The team that came to mind was the 1998 duke blue devils (Brand, Avery, Burgess,and Battier). In my opinion this was a stronger class than the fab five. Three guys in this class were selected by one publication or another as the top player in the country. I think this team didn't get the hype that michigan got because there were solid upperclassmen in place,which received playing time (WoJO, Langdon, Mccleod)
Although its dificult to compare this class to the great ones of the past. I'm happy with the direction that program is going.
Durring My research for the 1998 class. I found an interesting article about a couple past best classes ever
Duke's recruiting class worthy of hoopla, but not best ever <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=450 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=300 colSpan=2 height=10></TD></TR><TR><TD width=50>
</TD><TD width=300>Oct. 4, 2001
[font=arial, helvetica]By Dan Wetzel
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Dan your opinion!
[/font]
</TD><TD width=150></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=640 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=6 bgColor=#000099 height=600></TD><TD width=10></TD><TD width=450>[font=Arial, Helvetica]Duke signs greatest recruiting class ever!
It's good for the headlines, even if it isn't much for reality.
Of course, hyperbole is as much a part of the recruiting evaluation game as summer talent camps, so what do you expect?
Just consider that in 1997, the last time Duke landed "the greatest recruiting class of all time" -- the "Fab Four" of William Avery, Shane Battier, Elton Brand and Chris Burgess -- one recruiting guru described Burgess as "a cross between Larry Bird and Bill Walton."
So you take it all with a grain of salt and a lot of entertainment value.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=165 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD width=150>
</TD><TD width=15></TD></TR><TR><TD width=150>Chris Webber was an integral part of 1991's Fab Five at Michigan.(Allsport)</TD><TD width=15></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
But what of this vaunted group of six recruits that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has lured to Durham? A lot of scouts who should know better are calling it the best group they've ever seen, mainly based on some statistical formulas that assign numerical value to recruits.
And since Duke has five of BlueChipHoops.com's top 30 players -- 6-foot-9 Shelden Williams (No. 5), 6-9 Shavlik Randolph (No. 9), 6-4 J.J. Redick (No. 14), 6-10 Michael Thompson (No. 17), 6-2 Sean Dockery (No. 30), not to mention borderline top 100 player in 6-6 Lee Melchionni set to walk on -- the numbers can add up.
The usually reliable Bob Gibbons hails it as the greatest he's seen, because in his rankings four of those players rank among the top 15 nationally. And that's better than Duke's 1997 group, or the 1991 Michigan Fab Five.
"Those classes didn't have four players rank in the top 15," Gibbons told the Charlotte Observer. "This one does."
It presumably is better than any of UCLA's classes, such as, say, 1970 that featured Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes, Greg Lee and Tommy Curtis, although nobody ranked players then.
Gibbons went on to declare that Duke had "a UCLA-type dynasty being established. It's already there and its getting better."
Well, UCLA once won 10 NCAA titles in 12 years. Duke has won three in 11.
Not surprisingly, Dick Vitale went a step further and declared Duke to be the New York Yankees of college basketball. Let's see, 26 world championships or three NCAA titles?
So you can see where this is going.
But here is what Gibbons and Vitale and everyone else is forgetting: Comparing classes from one year to the next is fraught with problems because depending on the overall strength and depth of a class, the No. 4 player one year is not the same as the No. 4 player the next year.
It also fails to take into account that often one player is better than two or three or even four guys.
Let's use an NBA comparison.
In the 1999 draft the Atlanta Hawks picked up four of the top 27 players available when they landed Jason Terry, Cal Bowdler, Dion Glover and Jumaine Jones in the first round. In 1990, Sacramento landed four also, grabbing first-rounders Lionel Simmons, Travis May, Duane Causwell and Anthony Bonner in a single night.
Boot up the spreadsheet, crunch some numbers and that's pretty impressive.
In 1984, the Chicago Bulls had just one pick. They got Michael Jordan.
So let's take a look at the 1991 Michigan recruiting class, the most famed of all time. You can even forget about the good recruits -- Ray Jackson and Jimmy King, both top 75 talents, according to Future Stars magazine. Just consider the big three -- 6-9 Chris Webber (No. 1), 6-10 Juwan Howard (No. 3) and 6-7 Jalen Rose (No. 4).
"I don't think you will ever see a group like that again," said current Detroit coach Perry Watson, who coached Rose at Detroit Southwestern High. Watson coached there from 1978-1991 before becoming a Michigan assistant.
"You have to realize how unselfish those players were to sign at the same school. For Jalen and Juwan to go where they knew Chris would be the focal point? Today kids have entourages in junior high and I don't think their entourages would allow it," Watson said.
No offense to the fine future Blue Devils, but there isn't one player in that recruiting class that is the equal as a high school player of any of the Michigan threesome. Shelden Williams, the good, tough power forward from Oklahoma, is about the closest thing.
But he is not Chris Webber, an absolute man-child who never found a peer at the high school level.
"Chris was the best high school player I have ever seen," Watson said. "And I have seen a lot of players, from Magic (Johnson) to (George) Gervin. I used to be a director at the Nike Camp when we had players like Alonzo (Mourning) and Shawn Kemp. I have seen all the current guys.
"But when you put it altogether, Chris had such a presence at the high school level. He had a combination of being so powerful and so graceful. And he won three state championships, so the kid was about winning."
There is also no freak of nature like Rose, a 6-7 point guard out of the Magic mold in the Duke group. And no matter how inconsistent Howard has been as a pro, he was an exceptional prep center, a true dominator out of Chicago.
Today, all three would be lottery picks out of high school. Webber would probably go No. 1. He certainly was a better high school player than Kwame Brown. And Brown, not to mention Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and DaJuan Wagner from the Class of 2001, are all better than any prep player in the Class of 2002.
Duke could add a couple more top 50 walk-ons and they wouldn't have the game-breaking studs that Michigan signed in 1991. Seriously, would anyone trade Webber for Williams and Randolph? We won't even bother with the Rose-Dockery, Howard-Thompson comparisons.
"That's the problem," Watson said. "Let's not take anything away from these players, but when you start saying they are the best ever then somebody is going to feel bad. Because that player isn't Chris Webber and that one isn't Juwan Howard. But they are very good. We should let them be just very good."
The Blue Devils' recruiting class is a terrific assemblage of talent that is certainly among the most highly regarded ever.
But the best?
With the top players going straight to the league, it is more likely Burgess develops into that cross between Bird and Walton than there is a class better than the Fab Five.
[/font]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Although its dificult to compare this class to the great ones of the past. I'm happy with the direction that program is going.
Durring My research for the 1998 class. I found an interesting article about a couple past best classes ever
Duke's recruiting class worthy of hoopla, but not best ever <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=450 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=300 colSpan=2 height=10></TD></TR><TR><TD width=50>
[font=arial, helvetica]By Dan Wetzel
SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Dan your opinion!
[/font]
</TD><TD width=150></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=640 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=6 bgColor=#000099 height=600></TD><TD width=10></TD><TD width=450>[font=Arial, Helvetica]Duke signs greatest recruiting class ever!
It's good for the headlines, even if it isn't much for reality.
Of course, hyperbole is as much a part of the recruiting evaluation game as summer talent camps, so what do you expect?
Just consider that in 1997, the last time Duke landed "the greatest recruiting class of all time" -- the "Fab Four" of William Avery, Shane Battier, Elton Brand and Chris Burgess -- one recruiting guru described Burgess as "a cross between Larry Bird and Bill Walton."
So you take it all with a grain of salt and a lot of entertainment value.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=165 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD width=150>
But what of this vaunted group of six recruits that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has lured to Durham? A lot of scouts who should know better are calling it the best group they've ever seen, mainly based on some statistical formulas that assign numerical value to recruits.
And since Duke has five of BlueChipHoops.com's top 30 players -- 6-foot-9 Shelden Williams (No. 5), 6-9 Shavlik Randolph (No. 9), 6-4 J.J. Redick (No. 14), 6-10 Michael Thompson (No. 17), 6-2 Sean Dockery (No. 30), not to mention borderline top 100 player in 6-6 Lee Melchionni set to walk on -- the numbers can add up.
The usually reliable Bob Gibbons hails it as the greatest he's seen, because in his rankings four of those players rank among the top 15 nationally. And that's better than Duke's 1997 group, or the 1991 Michigan Fab Five.
"Those classes didn't have four players rank in the top 15," Gibbons told the Charlotte Observer. "This one does."
It presumably is better than any of UCLA's classes, such as, say, 1970 that featured Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes, Greg Lee and Tommy Curtis, although nobody ranked players then.
Gibbons went on to declare that Duke had "a UCLA-type dynasty being established. It's already there and its getting better."
Well, UCLA once won 10 NCAA titles in 12 years. Duke has won three in 11.
Not surprisingly, Dick Vitale went a step further and declared Duke to be the New York Yankees of college basketball. Let's see, 26 world championships or three NCAA titles?
So you can see where this is going.
But here is what Gibbons and Vitale and everyone else is forgetting: Comparing classes from one year to the next is fraught with problems because depending on the overall strength and depth of a class, the No. 4 player one year is not the same as the No. 4 player the next year.
It also fails to take into account that often one player is better than two or three or even four guys.
Let's use an NBA comparison.
In the 1999 draft the Atlanta Hawks picked up four of the top 27 players available when they landed Jason Terry, Cal Bowdler, Dion Glover and Jumaine Jones in the first round. In 1990, Sacramento landed four also, grabbing first-rounders Lionel Simmons, Travis May, Duane Causwell and Anthony Bonner in a single night.
Boot up the spreadsheet, crunch some numbers and that's pretty impressive.
In 1984, the Chicago Bulls had just one pick. They got Michael Jordan.
So let's take a look at the 1991 Michigan recruiting class, the most famed of all time. You can even forget about the good recruits -- Ray Jackson and Jimmy King, both top 75 talents, according to Future Stars magazine. Just consider the big three -- 6-9 Chris Webber (No. 1), 6-10 Juwan Howard (No. 3) and 6-7 Jalen Rose (No. 4).
"I don't think you will ever see a group like that again," said current Detroit coach Perry Watson, who coached Rose at Detroit Southwestern High. Watson coached there from 1978-1991 before becoming a Michigan assistant.
"You have to realize how unselfish those players were to sign at the same school. For Jalen and Juwan to go where they knew Chris would be the focal point? Today kids have entourages in junior high and I don't think their entourages would allow it," Watson said.
No offense to the fine future Blue Devils, but there isn't one player in that recruiting class that is the equal as a high school player of any of the Michigan threesome. Shelden Williams, the good, tough power forward from Oklahoma, is about the closest thing.
But he is not Chris Webber, an absolute man-child who never found a peer at the high school level.
"Chris was the best high school player I have ever seen," Watson said. "And I have seen a lot of players, from Magic (Johnson) to (George) Gervin. I used to be a director at the Nike Camp when we had players like Alonzo (Mourning) and Shawn Kemp. I have seen all the current guys.
"But when you put it altogether, Chris had such a presence at the high school level. He had a combination of being so powerful and so graceful. And he won three state championships, so the kid was about winning."
There is also no freak of nature like Rose, a 6-7 point guard out of the Magic mold in the Duke group. And no matter how inconsistent Howard has been as a pro, he was an exceptional prep center, a true dominator out of Chicago.
Today, all three would be lottery picks out of high school. Webber would probably go No. 1. He certainly was a better high school player than Kwame Brown. And Brown, not to mention Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and DaJuan Wagner from the Class of 2001, are all better than any prep player in the Class of 2002.
Duke could add a couple more top 50 walk-ons and they wouldn't have the game-breaking studs that Michigan signed in 1991. Seriously, would anyone trade Webber for Williams and Randolph? We won't even bother with the Rose-Dockery, Howard-Thompson comparisons.
"That's the problem," Watson said. "Let's not take anything away from these players, but when you start saying they are the best ever then somebody is going to feel bad. Because that player isn't Chris Webber and that one isn't Juwan Howard. But they are very good. We should let them be just very good."
The Blue Devils' recruiting class is a terrific assemblage of talent that is certainly among the most highly regarded ever.
But the best?
With the top players going straight to the league, it is more likely Burgess develops into that cross between Bird and Walton than there is a class better than the Fab Five.
[/font]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
