With recruiting being one of the few continuing basketball activities at the present time, this seems like a good moment to rank history's best efforts in that area.
By "history," we mean the one-and-done era. The NBA's eligibility rule has been the law of the recruiting land now for 15 years. Plenty long enough, in other words, to compile some rankings.
This ranking of the 25 best classes ever signed is based solely on where players were ranked coming out of high school. It is not -- repeat, not -- a ranking of which classes turned out to be the best in terms of college performance. (Though that might make an interesting list in its own right.)
Now that we're all on the same page, here are the top 25 recruiting classes of the one-and-done era.
(Player rankings in parenthesis are ESPN's rankings, except for 2006, which was before ESPN's recruiting database began. For 2006, we used the Recruiting Services Consensus Index.)
1. Kentucky 2013: Julius Randle (No. 3), Andrew Harrison (No. 5), Dakari Johnson (No. 7), James Young (No. 8), Aaron Harrison (No. 9), Marcus Lee (No. 25)
When it was finally signed and delivered, John Calipari's 2013 class was considered by many to be perhaps the greatest recruiting class of all time. It had everything. Five top-10 prospects, six McDonald's All Americans. There was top-end talent and depth in the class. Randle was the prize of the class, choosing Kentucky over Kansas, Florida and Texas. The elite backcourt of Andrew and Aaron Harrison gave Calipari the No. 1 prospect at three different positions. Johnson was a dominant big man, and Young was a smooth-scoring wing. To add to it, late bloomer Lee joined the group. Calipari also added two in-state prospects in three-stars Derek Willis and Dominique Hawkins. It's clearly the best recruiting class of the one-and-done era, and even a Duke group that included the top three prospects in the country doesn't come close.
2. Duke 2018: RJ Barrett (No. 1), Zion Williamson (No. 2), Cam Reddish (No. 3), Tre Jones (No. 17), Joey Baker (No. 41)
Duke's recruiting run in 2017 and 2018 is going to be tough to match by anyone over a two-year stretch. The 2017 group landed No. 1 prospect Marvin Bagley III very late in the summer to snatch the No. 1 spot in those rankings, but Mike Krzyzewski topped it in 2018. It started with Jones, the younger brother of Tyus and one of the best point guards in the class, pledging to Duke shortly after the summer period. Right after Bagley came Reddish, who was thought to be a Duke lean but also considered Kentucky, Villanova and others. Two months later, top-ranked prospect Barrett joined, with Duke once again beating out Kentucky (and Oregon) for his pledge. Williamson's commitment was the one that stunned everyone -- and also the one that locked up the No. 1 class for the Blue Devils. Four-star forward Baker's decision to reclassify into the 2018 class gave the group a little more pop, too.
3. Kentucky 2017: Kevin Knox (No. 10), PJ Washington (No. 12), Nick Richards (No. 17), Jarred Vanderbilt (No. 19), Quade Green (No. 24), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 35), Jemarl Baker (No. 66)
The Wildcats' 2017 class arrived in the aftermath of a mass departure of players that was dramatic even in Kentucky terms. After falling to eventual national champion North Carolina in the last second in the Elite Eight, Calipari lost De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Isaiah Briscoe and Derek Willis, among others. What UK's 2017 class lacked in top-five players, it more than offset with depth and versatility. The highest-rated player in the Wildcats' haul, Knox, was also possibly the biggest surprise. Kentucky was thought to have fallen behind in his recruitment, but in May 2017 he chose UK over Duke, Florida State (where his father had played football), Missouri and North Carolina. Knox joined a class that was already ranked No. 1 in the eyes of many observers, thanks to talent like Washington, Richards, Vanderbilt, Green and Gilgeous-Alexander.
4. Duke 2017: Marvin Bagley III (No. 1), Wendell Carter (No. 5), Trevon Duval (No. 6), Gary Trent Jr., (No. 8), Jordan Tucker (No. 42), Alex O'Connell (No. 87), Jordan Goldwire
Though Kentucky's 2013 group had the most top-10 players in one class and Duke's 2018 class had the top three overall prospects, Duke's 2017 class is the only one with ESPN's No. 1-ranked player at four of the five positions. It was already an elite class, when Carter, Duval and Trent were the headliners. Carter and Trent were Duke leans from the early stages of their recruitments, but Duke jumped in late for Duval because it needed a point guard in the class. They also had ESPN 100 prospects Tucker and O'Connell in the fold, as well as three-star point guard Goldwire, who chose Duke over Eastern Kentucky. But what put Duke's class over the top was the August decision of No. 1 prospect Bagley to reclassify into 2017 and commit to Duke. What was an elite class turned to a historically good class.
5. Duke 2016: Harry Giles (No. 1), Jayson Tatum (No. 3), Frank Jackson (No. 10), Marques Bolden (No. 16), Javin DeLaurier (No. 44)
When this class signed with Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils were the reigning national champions and the new recruits were, inevitably, compared to players on that 2015 championship team. In that spirit, Giles was viewed as the next Jahlil Okafor. The No. 1-ranked player nationally in the 2016 class, Giles announced his decision live on SportsCenter and chose Duke over Kansas, Kentucky and Wake Forest. By the time Giles declared for Duke in November 2015, however, the Blue Devils already had commitments from top-10 talents Tatum and Jackson. Tatum had signed with Krzyzewski the previous summer after considering Kentucky, North Carolina and Tatum's hometown program, Saint Louis. Two months later, Jackson joined the class, having already announced he was decommitting from BYU. With Bolden and DeLaurier added to the group, Krzyzewski had one of his deepest and highest-rated classes yet in Durham.
6. Kentucky 2011: Anthony Davis (No. 1), Michael Gilchrist (No. 4), Marquis Teague (No. 8), Kyle Wiltjer (No. 19)
If the Wildcats had had a couple more players in their 2011 class, it would have been higher on the list. Calipari landed four players in 2011 -- and all four were five-star prospects. Three of them were the No. 1-ranked players at their respective positions. The jewel of the group was Davis, perhaps the best prospect coming out of high school basketball in the past decade. Davis' story is familiar by now: relatively unknown until the spring of his junior year, blew up in April on the AAU circuit and became a household name in recruiting circles. While Davis had the potential, Gilchrist (no Kidd, yet) had the production. Gilchrist played with a constant motor and was maybe the most consistent player in the class. Teague was the top point guard in 2011, and chose Kentucky over Louisville. Calipari was able to reel in Wiltjer from the Pacific Northwest. This group won a national title in 2012.
7. Kentucky 2016: Bam Adebayo (No. 5), De'Aaron Fox (No. 6), Malik Monk (No. 9), Wenyen Gabriel (No. 14), Sacha Killeya-Jones (No. 24)
Despite Duke reeling in four five-star prospects -- including No. 1 Harry Giles and No. 3 Jayson Tatum -- Kentucky's deeper group gave the Blue Devils serious competition in ESPN's rankings. Calipari had five five-star prospects in this class, including three of the top nine prospects and four of the top 14 prospects. Though Duke's 2016 class seemed written in the stars early in the process, Kentucky had to make up ground on several of its eventual signees. The Wildcats beat out NC State for Adebayo, Arkansas for Monk, Duke for Gabriel and also landed one-time Virginia commit Killeya-Jones. Fox was considered a heavy Kentucky lean for the months leading up to his commitment. Calipari rounded out the class with New Zealand native Tai Wynyard, who also considered Villanova.
8. North Carolina 2006: Brandan Wright (No. 3), Ty Lawson (No. 5), Wayne Ellington (No. 8), Alex Stepheson (No. 39), Deon Thompson (No. 43), William Graves (No. 79)
We're not factoring in collegiate success in these rankings, but this group formed the core of a group that won three straight ACC regular-season titles, went to two Final Fours and won a national championship in 2009. From a pure recruiting standpoint, this class stacks up favorably as well. Three top-10 prospects, five top-50 prospects and six players ranked in the top 100. Roy Williams secured his backcourt of the future before the summer even began, with Lawson and Ellington committing in the span of a week. (Ellington's high school teammate, Gerald Henderson, announced the week prior he would play at Duke.) Wright was the surprise commitment -- and the one that gave Carolina the top class in the country. The Tar Heels were not the favorite entering his trip to Chapel Hill, but Wright ended his recruitment after the visit.
9. Kansas 2013: Andrew Wiggins (No. 1), Joel Embiid (No. 6), Wayne Selden (No. 14), Conner Frankamp (No. 46), Brannen Greene (No. 47)
With this group, Bill Self proved that concentrating high levels of talent within a single recruiting class wasn't just for Calipari and Krzyzewski. Wiggins prolonged the drama as the consensus No. 1 recruit, waiting until mid-May and considering Florida State (where his father played), Kentucky and North Carolina along with Kansas. Even Self said he "never had an idea which way" Wiggins would go with his decision. When Wiggins made his choice, Embiid and Selden had already been on board with the Jayhawks for months. Embiid had been playing organized basketball for only a short while and was viewed as an intriguing prospect with upside. Not ranked in the top 100 but also a member of this same 2013 class was a 5-foot-11 point guard from Petersburg, Virginia, named Frank Mason III. We're not including college performance as a factor in these recruiting rankings, but let's just say signing Mason panned out pretty well for Self.
10. Duke 2014: Jahlil Okafor (No. 1), Tyus Jones (No. 4), Justise Winslow (No. 15), Grayson Allen (No. 21)
Package deals don't usually pan out, and in most cases, package deals aren't really package deals. But in the case of No. 1 center Okafor and No. 1 point guard Jones, it panned out -- and resulted in a national championship for Krzyzewski and Duke. Okafor and Jones had consistently spoken publicly about their desire to play on the same team at the college level, and never wavered. They announced their commitment to Duke at the same time, choosing the Blue Devils over Kansas and Baylor. Okafor and Jones were joined by Winslow, another close friend of theirs from the grassroots and elite high school circuit. The most unsung player in the four-man class was Allen, a five-star shooting guard. Allen, of course, was the hero of Duke's national championship game win over Wisconsin and later became one of the most polarizing figures in college basketball.
11. Kentucky 2010: Brandon Knight (No. 4), Terrence Jones (No. 9), Enes Kanter (No. 25), Doron Lamb (No. 29), Stacey Poole (No. 51)
This wasn't the five-star-studded class Kentucky fans have become used to in recent years. In fact, only two of the seven players were considered five-star recruits: Knight and Jones. Knight was the best remaining uncommitted player in the spring of 2010, and it was not a surprise when he ended up picking Calipari and the Wildcats. Jones' decision had a little more drama. The five-star forward committed to Washington at a news conference in late April -- but, after taking a phone call from Calipari, didn't sign a letter of intent with the Huskies. Three weeks later, he ended up signing with Kentucky. The Wildcats also took Kanter from Washington, after the Turkish big man originally committed to the Huskies in November 2009. Eventual national champion Lamb was also part of his group, as was ESPN 100 wing Poole, in-state guard Jarrod Polson and junior college big man Eloy Vargas.
12. Kentucky 2009: DeMarcus Cousins (No. 4), John Wall (No. 5), Daniel Orton (No. 13), Jon Hood (No. 92), Eric Bledsoe, Darnell Dodson (JC)
John Calipari took over at Kentucky on March 31, 2009. Within six weeks, Calipari had the nation's No. 1 recruiting class -- a trend that hasn't slowed down in the decade-plus since. When Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky, he had ESPN's No. 1 center Cousins and junior college forward Dodson committed to the Tigers. Both decided to follow him to Kentucky. ESPN's No. 3 prospect Xavier Henry decommitted from Memphis, but instead went to Kansas. Five-star center Orton and ESPN 100 forward Hood kept their commitments to Kentucky. ESPN 100 point guard Bledsoe had Kentucky in the mix before Calipari took over, and decided to commit to the Wildcats. Of course, here was the big decision: ESPN's No. 5 prospect Wall -- the top point guard in the class -- chose Calipari and Kentucky over Miami. At the time, the thought was Wall was going to play wherever Calipari was coaching, whether Memphis or Kentucky.
13. Kentucky 2012: Nerlens Noel (No. 1), Alex Poythress (No. 13), Archie Goodwin (No. 15), Willie Cauley-Stein (No. 40)
Calling it "the toughest decision of my entire life," Noel chose Kentucky over Georgetown and Syracuse on ESPN's Signing Day Special in April 2012. The No. 1-ranked recruit didn't announce his decision as much as he displayed it. The UK logo was shaved into Noel's signature flat-top hairstyle. The Hoyas and the Orange both seemed to fit the profile for a 6-foot-10 prospect from Everett, Massachusetts, but perhaps the fact the Wildcats had won the national championship the previous week gave Calipari the added lift he needed. The late momentum generated by Noel's decision gave rise to speculation that Anthony Bennett might also sign with Calipari, but in the end the future No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft opted to attend UNLV.
14. Duke 2015: Brandon Ingram (No. 3), Chase Jeter (No. 11), Derryck Thornton (No. 17), Luke Kennard (No. 24), Antonio Vrankovic
Another class that got a late boost from a spring reclassification, Duke's 2015 class didn't have the same cachet as some of its most recent iterations -- despite having three McDonald's All Americans and three five-star prospects. Ingram had a tremendous senior year of high school, and went from an intriguing prospect to one that closed the gap on Ben Simmons for the No. 1 ranking in the 2015 class. He was long considered to be a Duke-North Carolina battle, but the Tar Heels faded with the NCAA investigation hanging over the program. Five-star big man Jeter was Duke's top priority in the post in the 2015 class, and he pledged right after the July live period. Shooting guard Kennard ended his recruitment fairly early, choosing Duke over Kentucky. Three-star center Vrankovic was also in the group. What pushed Duke to No. 1 in ESPN's rankings, though, was the decision of five-star point guard Thornton to reclassify and enroll at Duke in 2015 -- after Tyus Jones left early for the NBA.
15. Kentucky 2018: Keldon Johnson (No. 7), E.J. Montgomery (No. 14), Ashton Hagans (No. 20), Immanuel Quickley (No. 25), Tyler Herro (No. 30)
On the same day Kentucky learned it had been dropped from Romeo Langford's list, the Wildcats received excellent news in the form of Johnson's decision. The 6-foot-6 wing was long regarded as a probable Texas signee, but Calipari made Johnson a priority after concluding that both RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish could be headed elsewhere. Eventually, UK got its man. With Johnson and Quickley on board, Kentucky turned its attention to the likes of Zion Williamson, Bol Bol, Quentin Grimes, Moses Brown and Herro. The one that panned out there was Herro, and when onetime Auburn commit Montgomery landed with the Cats the following April, the class was loaded. Throw in the 11th-hour decision of Hagans to reclassify to 2018, and this Kentucky class merits inclusion here.
16. Kentucky 2015: Skal Labissiere (No. 2), Jamal Murray (five-star), Isaiah Briscoe (No. 13), Charles Matthews (No. 42), Isaac Humphries (No. 49), Mychal Mulder (JC)
Calipari actually missed on a long list of spring targets during the 2015 class, but a commitment from Murray in June pushed the Wildcats to just behind Duke in the final class rankings. Murray chose Kentucky over Oregon, reclassifying from 2016 in the process. Despite being a five-star prospect, Murray wasn't the main attraction in the class. Kentucky actually had the No. 1 class in 2015 during the early signing period, as Labissiere and Briscoe committed to the Wildcats in the span of one hour. Labissiere chose Kentucky over Memphis, and Briscoe went with the Wildcats over St. John's. Matthews had started the class, and Humphries finished things off in late August after reclassifying from 2016.
17. UCLA 2012: Shabazz Muhammad (No. 2), Kyle Anderson (No. 5), Tony Parker (No. 26), Jordan Adams (No. 41)
Ben Howland's last recruiting class at UCLA was not the California-centric groups of previous years -- but it was still one of the best classes in the country. It was a four-man group with two players from Georgia, one from New Jersey and one from Las Vegas. The big prize was No. 2-ranked prospect Muhammad, who was considered a UCLA lean for most of his recruitment. Muhammad also considered Kentucky and Duke, though, and UNLV made a push as well. Earlier in the cycle, UCLA pulled No. 5-ranked recruit Anderson out of New Jersey, with the Bruins holding off a late in-home visit from Seton Hall. Top-50 scoring wing Adams picked UCLA over Memphis -- after Howland hired his AAU coach, Korey McCray, as an assistant. The final piece to UCLA overtaking Kentucky and Arizona for the No. 1 class was top-30 big man Parker, who committed to the Bruins in late April.
18. Ohio State 2006: Greg Oden (No. 1), Daequan Cook (No. 13), Mike Conley (No. 21), David Lighty (No. 31), Othello Hunter (JC)
It was a class good enough to earn its own nickname: The "Thad Five." Cook was a five-star prospect in his own right, and Lighty was one of Ohio's top prospects before suffering a knee injury late in his junior year -- but it was the Oden-Conley connection that put this class over the top. The two played together at Lawrence North High School (Indiana) and for the Spiece Indy Heat AAU program (Cook also played for Spiece. Those editions of Spiece were considered some of the best AAU teams ever). Oden was the No. 1 prospect in the country and one of the best high school prospects of the past 20 years, and Conley was one of the best point guards in the country. The two committed together in late June, just before the July recruiting period began. At the time, there were some references to the Fab Five -- although those comparisons were a bit exaggerated. That said, they did form the core of a team that went to the national title game in 2007.
19. Kentucky 2014: Trey Lyles (No. 6), Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 9), Devin Booker (No. 18), Tyler Ulis (No. 25)
The amazing aspect of this Kentucky class is not so much that it was signed as that it was preserved. By summer 2014, the Wildcats turned out to be brimming with returning players. Calipari's historic 2013 class had been widely expected to go one-and-done virtually across the board. When Julius Randle and James Young were the only players who actually departed, however, the continuing presence of the Harrison brothers, Dakari Johnson and Marcus Lee (not to mention Willie Cauley-Stein from the 2012 class) didn't prevent UK from holding on to its magnificent 2014 class. Towns had committed to Kentucky all the way back in December 2012 before reclassifying to 2014 status. Ulis came next, in September 2013, when he was reputed to measure 5-foot-8 and weigh 145 pounds. Then came Booker on Halloween, and a few days later Lyles chose UK over reigning national champion Louisville.
20. UCLA 2008: Jrue Holiday (No. 4), Drew Gordon (No. 24), J'Mison Morgan (No. 26), Malcolm Lee (No. 31), Jerime Anderson (No. 49)
Prior to Memphis in 2019, this was the last No. 1 class not secured by Duke or Kentucky. Ben Howland's 2008 group included five top-50 players -- and came on the heels of three straight Final Four appearances. Howland secured most of the class very early in the process, with top-five prospect Holiday committing in July -- before the live period began. UCLA was considered the heavy favorite for Holiday, and by the time he pledged, Howland had already landed forward Gordon and guards Lee and Anderson. Nearly a year later, Howland finally wrapped up the 2008 class, with Dallas center Morgan, a one-time LSU signee, deciding to replace Kevin Love and play at UCLA.
21. Memphis 2019: James Wiseman (No. 1), Precious Achiuwa (No. 17), D.J. Jeffries (No. 25), Boogie Ellis (No. 39), Lester Quinones (No. 89)
Penny Hardaway was hired as head coach at Memphis on March 19, 2018. By October he had recorded his first significant win on the recruiting trail when onetime Kentucky signee Jeffries selected the Tigers over Mississippi State, Alabama and Ole Miss. Then, on Nov. 20, Wiseman was scheduled to appear on SportsCenter to declare whether he would play for Memphis or Kentucky. The nation's No. 1-ranked player pulled out a unicorn sporting a Memphis logo. (Wiseman was said to be a unicorn in terms of his talent and size.) That was dramatic enough, but May was nearly as eventful in its own right. In just one week, the Tigers landed Quinones, Ellis (who had decommitted from Duke) and, finally, Achiuwa. Hardaway even snatched Damion Baugh away from competitors like Texas Tech and TCU. Though Wiseman was fated to play only three games for the Tigers, in real time the assembly of this class marked quite the debut by the new head coach.
22. Duke 2019: Vernon Carey Jr. (No. 6), Matthew Hurt (No. 11), Wendell Moore (No. 22), Cassius Stanley (No. 32)
Krzyzewski got off to a late start in the 2019 cycle, missing out on a couple of top targets early in the fall -- but the Blue Devils bounced back late in the process. Moore was the first commit in early October, choosing Duke over a trio of rival Tobacco Road programs. The jewel of the class was top-five center Carey, and Duke wasn't the clear favorite for the big man throughout much of his recruitment -- but made up ground on Michigan State down the stretch. The Blue Devils also played catch-up for their final two commits, Hurt and Stanley. When Stanley committed to Duke, it looked as if Duke was poised for ESPN's No. 1 recruiting class for the third year in a row and fifth time in six years. Penny Hardaway and Memphis' late surge ended those hopes, however.
23. USC 2007: O.J. Mayo (No. 3), Marcus Simmons (No. 78)
It's hard to get a true feel for how good USC's class really was, as Davon Jefferson -- the second-best prospect in the class -- was unranked after doing a prep year at Patterson School (North Carolina). By all accounts, Jefferson was a five-star-caliber prospect. Either way, the stunner of the Trojans' 2007 group was Mayo, the well-known elite guard who had more attention surrounding his recruitment than most players at the time. In a famous story, then-USC head coach Tim Floyd received a call telling him that Mayo was interested in the Trojans -- which spurred Floyd to begin recruiting Mayo. Mayo chose USC over Kansas State, where Bob Huggins had moved from Cincinnati. ESPN 100 guard Simmons was the only other ranked prospect in the class, which was rounded out by Angelo Johnson and Mamadou Diarra.
24. Kentucky 2020: B.J. Boston (No. 6), Terrence Clarke (No. 9), Devin Askew (No. 24), Isaiah Jackson (No. 31), Lance Ware (No. 43), Cam'Ron Fletcher (No. 58)
B.J. Boston gets behind the defense and crushes home the huge alley-oop jam.
There would be no need for a spring surge for Calipari this time around. Kentucky landed all six 2020 prospects by mid-November. Top-10 prospect Boston committed immediately after the end of the July live period, giving the Wildcats serious momentum entering the fall. Fletcher followed shortly after Boston, and then Ware and Clarke popped in mid-September. When Clarke announced for Kentucky, he also made the decision to reclassify into 2020. Another reclassifier came when Askew chose Kentucky in mid-October. Askew didn't make the decision to move into 2020 when he committed but decided to sign a letter of intent during the early signing period, making things official for the Wildcats. Jackson rounded out the group, securing Kentucky's first No. 1 class at ESPN since 2016.
25. North Carolina 2010: Harrison Barnes (No. 1), Reggie Bullock (No. 18), Kendall Marshall (No. 22),
This class started with Bullock and Marshall, and they were alone together for a good long while. Both players committed to North Carolina as high school sophomores, and Roy Williams worked hard to give his signees some company. It took almost two full years, but on Nov. 13, 2009, the Tar Heels' head coach received a video call on a newfangled piece of technology called Skype. The call was placed by Barnes, who was with a crowd of supporters in the gym at Ames High School in Ames, Iowa. Barnes informed Williams he was coming to Chapel Hill, meaning Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State had missed out on the No. 1 player in the ESPN 100.