NOTE: The following blog was first published last year at WILDABOUTAZCATS.com. It is updated with new analysis here. We are revisiting the content because the spring signing period starts Wednesday. You can reach Javier at wildaboutazcats@gmail.com.

Many coaches would agree that a recruiting class must be given at least three years before placing a value on it. So at the conclusion of the 2012-2013 season we can determine where the Class of 2010 — Sean Miller’s second at Arizona — rates among those classes in the modern era (since Fred Snowden was hired in 1972).

One argument: A recruit talented enough to play one season before entering the NBA should elevate the value of that class in spite of the three-year evaluation period. That is certainly true, but in my opinion a higher value should be placed on what a class does to sustain the program’s performance over the long haul. After all, it is called a “class”, meaning it’s a group of individuals headed to college to compete together from year to year (or class to class).

Miller’s theme to date: Recruits are headed to Arizona to help build a winning program, not build a team.

His first group is an indication of how well he can recruit, especially in a limited amount of time (he was hired on April 7, four months before the next school year started). The class, which included Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Derrick Williams and sparkplug guard Lamont “MoMo” Jones, had similar success to the first class of recruits signed by Fred Snowden and Lute Olson in their inaugural seasons.

Look at some of the names Snowden and Olson were able to attract in a short period of time, also a four to five month window after their respective hire (Snowden was hired in March 1972 and Olson in March 1983):

Snowden: Ron Allen, Al Fleming, John Irving, Eric Money, Coniel Norman, and Jim Rappis.

Olson: Steve Kerr, Eddie Smith and Pete Williams.

Snowden’s first group of recruits was coined the “Kiddie Korps” because of their youth leading the Wildcats into a new era (McKale Center also opened that season). Money and Norman left to the NBA after their sophomore seasons, and Allen was a JC recruit. Irving transferred by his junior season.

Fleming and Rappis, as seniors, were part of the 1975-76 team that came one game from reaching the Final Four. With teammate Bob Elliott at center, they lost at UCLA in the West Regional final after keeping it close for two-thirds of the game.

Olson’s class in 1983 did not have a nickname but they were part of his Phase I project of instilling a winning attitude into a program that went 4-24 under Ben Lindsey the year before his arrival. Van Beard played all but three minutes as a freshman before transferring and Michael Tait transferred during his sophomore year. However, Williams, Smith and Kerr left an enduring mark on the UA program.

Williams and Smith, both junior college transfers, and Kerr helped lead the UA back to the NCAA tournament in Olson’s second season. The Wildcats qualified for the NCAA tournament every year afterward until last season. Kerr, as a senior, along with Sean Elliott captained the Wildcats to their first Final Four appearance in 1988. Kerr went on to win five NBA titles, the most by a former Wildcat.

The best recruiting classes in the modern history of Arizona basketball, in my opinion: 1, The 1985 class with Sean Elliott, Anthony Cook and Kenny Lofton; 2, The 1972 class with Money, Norman, Rappis and Fleming; and 3, The 1994 class with Miles Simon, Michael Dickerson and Ben Davis. How can you argue against a class that won a national title? That’s what Simon (Final Four MVP) and Dickerson did three years after they signed with Arizona.

In terms of the Class of 2010, Miller already has in tow shooting guard Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix North High School, which won consecutive state titles under his leadership. Bejarano signed a national letter of intent last November. The spring signing period starts Wednesday, and the UA is expected to sign Los Angeles Westchester guard Jordin Mayes and Logan (Ill.) Junior College wing player Jesse Perry.

Other recruits reportedly considering Arizona include Baltimore Lake County point guard Josh Selby, Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill combo guard Doron Lamb, Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum Jr. and Manhattan (N.Y.) Rice power forward Kadeem Jack.

McCallum will announce his decision on Signing Day. Selby and Lamb will disclose their choice April 17 during halftime of the Jordan Brand All-American game at Madison Square Garden. Jack told me last week that he should announce his decision on April 28, although it may came sooner.

Other comparisons of the first-year classes of Snowden, Olson and Miller:

• Olson and Snowden recruited future NBA draft picks in Money, Norman, Fleming, Rappis, Kerr, Smith and Pete Williams (Note: Rappis, Smith and Pete Williams were drafted after the second round when the selections lasted 10 rounds). Miller’s first recruiting class appears to have at least one potential NBA player in Derrick Williams.
• Norman remains the UA’s career leader in scoring average (23.9 points a game). Fleming is still atop the the career rebounds list (with 1,190) and Kerr continues to hold the school’s three-point percentage record (57.3 percent).
• The first classes helped lead the Wildcats to their first Elite Eight (Snowden) and Final Four (Olson). By the time it exhausts its eligibility at Arizona in 2013, how far will Miller’s first class go in the postseason?
• At least one player transferred away from Arizona in each of class recruited by Snowden and Olson. All the players in Miller’s first class appear to be staying with the Wildcats for now.
• The UA went from 6-20 in Bruce Larson’s last year to 16-10 in Snowden’s first season. After Lindsey’s miserable four-win season in 1982-83, Olson’s team finished 11-17 in his first year (the last time the Wildcats had a losing record). Miller’s first team failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time in 26 years, but the program tried to get back on its feet after two consecutive years with interim coaches during Olson’s retirement saga.

Here’s a look of each UA recruiting class since Snowden was hired and how the Wildcats fared three years after they were signed out of high school or junior college (future NBA draft picks are italicized and recruits who never played at Arizona, i.e. Brandon Jennings are not included):

• Head coach: Fred Snowden
  • 1972: Ron Allen, Dave Burns, Al Fleming, John Irving, Eric Money, Coniel Norman, Jim Rappis and James Wakefield. Three years later (1974-75): The UA finishes 22-7 and is selected to the National Commissioner’s Invitational Tournament. Money, Norman, Fleming and Rappis are arguably the best foursome recruiting class the Wildcats have ever produced based on pure talent. Rating (scale 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest): 9.
    

    Eric Money was a key member of Fred Snowden's first recruiting class in 1972, labeled the Kiddie Korps

  • 1973: Bob Aleksa, Bob Elliott, Jerome Gladney, Len Gordy, Herman Harris, Gary Harrison and Steve Kanner. Three years later (1975-76): The UA finishes 24-9, wins the WAC title and loses in the 1976 Elite Eight to UCLA. Elliott is the UA’s career scoring leader before Sean Elliott (no relation) breaks his record. Herman Harris’ scoring average might have increased by four points if a three-point line exists back then. Rating: 8.
  • 1974: Tom Ehlmann, Mitch Jones, Tim Marshall, Gilbert Myles, Phil Taylor. Three years later (1976-77): The UA finishes 21-6 and loses in the first round of the 1977 NCAA tournament (the last time the UA made the NCAA tournament under Snowden). Rating: 5.
  • 1975: Larry Demic, Ron Fuller, Brian Jung and Sylvester Maxey. Three years later 1977-78): The UA finishes 15-11. Demic is a first-round draft pick in 1979. Rating: 6.
  • 1976: Kenny Davis, Joe Nehls and Tommy Williams. Three years later (1978-79): The UA finishes 16-11, the last time the Wildcats have a winning record for six years. Rating: 3.
  • 1977: Russell Brown, Robby Dosty, Steve Lake and John Smith. Three years later (1979-80): The UA finishes 12-15. Brown remains the school’s career leader in assists with 810 (no other player has more than 700). Rating: 5.
  • 1978: John Belobraydic, Ray Donnelly, Greg Hawthorne, John Hutcherson, Donald Mellon, Charles Miller and Michael Zeno. Three years later (1980-81): The UA finishes 13-14. Hawthorne, Mellon and Zeno are highly-regarded recruits but nothing materializes from this group.Rating: 3.
  • 1979: Ron Davis, David Mosebar, Frank Smith Jr. and Leon Wood. Three years later (1981-82): The UA finishes 9-18 in Snowden’s last season. Wood transfers to Cal State-Fullerton after his freshman year and is later drafted in the first round. After extremely impressive recruiting classes his first couple of seasons, Snowden never really sustains that level of success and the UA gradually declines. This class is good, however, with Davis, Smith and Wood. Rating: 5.
  • 1980: Jeff Collins, Greg Cook and Ricky Walker. Three years later (1982-83): The UA finishes 4-24 in Ben Lindsey’s only season at Arizona. None of these recruits are around for that debacle. Rating: 1.
  • 1981: Brock Brunkhorst, Mark Jung, Jack Magno and John Vlahogeorge. Three years later (1983-84): The UA finishes 11-17 in Olson’s first season. The only player from this class on Olson’s first team was Brunkhorst. Rating: 2.
• Head coach: Ben Lindsey
  • 1982: Troy Cooke, Ken Ensor, David Haskin, Todd Porter, Greg Scott, Greg Taylor, Morgan Taylor and Puntus Wilson. Three years later (1984-85): The UA finishes 21-10 and returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1977. Only Haskin and Morgan Taylor are there to experience it. Scott, Wilson and Porter are not retained by Olson. Rating: 2.
• Head coach: Lute Olson
  • 1983: Van Beard, Steve Kerr, Eddie Smith, Michael Tait and Pete Williams. Three years later (1985-86): The UA finishes 23-9 and wins its first Pac-10 title with Kerr as a captain. Olson credits Williams as being one of the best rebounders he’s ever coached. Beard and Tait transfer. Rating: 8.
  • 1984: Jon Edgar, Bruce Fraser, Rolf Jacobs, Craig McMillan and Joe Turner. Three years later (1986-87):The UA finishes 18-12 partly because Kerr is forced to redshirt with a knee injury. McMillan is the first McDonald’s All-American recruited by Olson to Arizona. Jacobs is dismissed from the team after breaking McMillan’s nose in practice with another in a series of elbow incidents. Edgar and Fraser, JC transfers, develop as leaders. Turner is mostly a role player known most for his affable personality. Rating: 5.
  • 1985: Anthony Cook, Eric Cooper, Sean Elliott, Kenny Lofton and Bruce Wheatley. Three years later (1987-88): The UA finishes 35-3 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It reaches its first Final Four in school history. Elliott is the Pac-10 Player of the Year. He eventually breaks Lew Alcindor’s conference scoring record. Elliott and Cook are drafted in the first round in 1989. Lofton, who leads the UA’s 1988 Final Four team in steals, emerges as a successful major league baseball player. Wheatley and Cooper transfer. Note: Cooper’s son, Eric Cooper Jr., is a Class of 2013 point guard recruit from La Verne (Calif.) Lutheran who has already been offered a scholarship by Miller and his staff. Rating: 9.
    

    Sean Elliott was part of arguably Arizona's best recruiting class ever in 1985 (Photo by Malcolm Emmons, US Presswire Archive)

  • 1986: Jud Buechler, Brian David, Harvey Mason and Tom Tolbert. Three years later (1988-89): The UA finishes 29-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10 the second straight year. Buechler goes on to the NBA and wins three titles with the Bulls. David, Mason and Tolbert (a JC recruit who departs in 1988) help form a strong team bond along with Buechler. Rating: 6.
  • 1988: Ron Curry, Mark Georgeson, Matt Muehlebach, Matt Othick, Sean Rooks and Wayne Womack. Three years later (1990-91): The UA finishes 28-7 and wins its fourth straight Pac-10 title. Curry and Georgeson transfer. Muehlebach, Othick, Rooks and Womack play through their senior seasons and form a solid team nucleus. Rating: 7.
  • 1989: Casey Schmidt and Ed Stokes. Three years later (1991-92): The UA finishes 24-7 overall, average by its standards. The Wildcats are upset by East Tennessee State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Stokes never flourished as a 7-footer. Schmidt transfers. Rating: 3.
  • 1990: Tony Clark, Kevin Flanagan, Deron Johnson and Khalid Reeves. Three years later (1992-93): The UA finishes 24-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. Kentucky transfer Chris Mills is a captain of the team. Reeves is first N.Y. product recruited by Olson and he is drafted in the first round 1994. Clark and Johnson transfer. Flanagan becomes a role player. Rating: 5.
  • 1991: Sean Allen, Ray Owes and Damon Stoudamire. Three years later (1993-94): The UA finishes 29-6 overall and advances to its second Final Four. Stoudamire becomes Olson’s sixth first-round draft pick in 1995. Owes is one of the more consistently productive players in the Olson era. Allen transfers. Rating: 6.
  • 1992: Joseph Blair, Edtrick Bohannon, Reggie Geary, Joe McLean and Corey Williams. Three years later (1994-95): The UA finishes 24-7 and loses in the first round to Miami (Ohio) with Sean Miller as an assistant to Herb Sendek. Bohannon transfers. Blair, Geary, McLean and Williams form another strong nucleus. Rating: 6.
  • 1993: Jarvis Kelley. Three years later (1995-96): The UA finishes 27-6 and loses in the Sweet 16 to Kansas. Kelley transfers after his sophomore season. Rating: 1.
  • 1994: Marty Bartmentloo, Ben Davis, Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon. Three years later (1996-97): The UA finishes 25-9 and wins its first NCAA title. Simon is named the Final Four MVP. Dickerson is a first-round draft choice in 1998. Davis, a JC recruit after playing at Florida, is one of more productive power forwards in the Olson era. Bartmentloo moves back to his native Australia before completing his eligibility. Rating: 8.
  • 1995: Donnell Harris and Jason Terry. Three years later (1997-98): The UA finishes 30-5 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It loses in the Sweet 16 against Utah. Terry is picked in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft. Harris plays good enough in the 1997 title game against Kentucky to help UA win but personal problems force an early end to his career. Rating: 5.
  • 1996: Mike Bibby, A.J. Bramlett, Eugene Edgerson and Bennett Davison. Three years later (1998-99): The UA finishes 22-7 and loses in the first round to Oklahoma. Bibby is already gone, selected in the first round of the 1998 draft (the highest pick in UA history at No. 2 overall). Davison (a JC transfer), Bramlett and Edgerson play through their respective senior seasons and were successful team-oriented players. Rating: 7.
  • 1997: Quynn Tebbs and Justin Wessel. Three years later (1999-2000): The UA finishes 27-7 overall and loses in the NCAA second round to Wisconsin. Tebbs transfers after one season and Wessel was a career reserve. Rating: 1.
  • 1998: Luke Walton, Rick Anderson, Ruben Douglas, Richard Jefferson, Traves Wilson and Michael Wright. Three years later (2000-01): The UA finishes 28-8 and advances to its fourth Final Four. The Wildcats lose to Duke in the title game. Douglas and Wilson transfer after their freshman year, but Jefferson, Walton (who redshirts in 1998) and Wright establish themselves. Jefferson is selected in the first round of the NBA draft in 2001. Walton wins an NBA title with Lakers in 2009. Douglas becomes leading scorer in NCAA with New Mexico his senior year. Anderson becomes a contributor as a senior. Rating: 8.
  • 1999: Gilbert Arenas, Lamont Frazier, Jason Gardner and Robertas Javtokas. Three years later (2001-02): The UA finishes 24-10, its first season with double-digit losses since 1987. Arenas is an unknown recruit, not sought by other programs. He leaves the UA after his sophomore season and becomes an NBA all-star. Gardner holds the UA record for career minutes played. Frazier and Javtokas transfer.Rating: 7.
  • 2000: Travis Hanour. Three years later (2002-03): The UA finishes 28-4 overall and 17-1 in the Pac-10. It loses in the Elite Eight to Kansas. Hanour only lasts a year before transferring. Rating: 1.
  • 2001: Will Bynum, Isaiah Fox, Channing Frye, Dennis Latimore, Salim Stoudamire and Andrew Zahn. Three years later (2003-04): The UA finishes 20-10 overall and struggles in the Pac-10 with an 11-7 record. Bynum, Latimore and Zahn all transfer before 2003. Fox becomes a role player. Frye establishes himself as a first-round pick in the NBA draft in 2005. Stoudamire becomes a deadly perimeter shooter. Rating: 6.
  • 2002: Hassan Adams, Andre Iguodala and Chris Rodgers. Three years later (2004-05): The UA finishes 30-7 and 15-3 in the Pac-10, winning its last conference title. The Wildcats lose in the Elite Eight to Illinois, blowing a 15-point lead with less than five minutes remaining. Iguodala becomes a first-round draft pick in 2004. Rodgers gets in Olson’s doghouse and Adams is a solid contributor. Rating: 6.
  • 2003: Mustafa Shakur, Ivan Radenovich and Kirk Walters. Three years later (2005-06): The UA finishes 20-13 overall and loses in the second round to Villanova. Shakur struggles throughout most of his UA career while Walters is injury-plagued. Radenovich, who enters mid-season from Serbia in 2003, gradually improves as a contributor.Rating: 4.
  • 2004: Daniel Dillon, Jawann McClellan, Mohamed Tangara and Jesus Verdugo. Three years later (2006-07): The UA finishes 20-11 and loses in the first round to Purdue. This group never pans out. Verdugo transfers after his freshman year and Tangara (who completes his degree at UA) transfers before his senior season. Dillon becomes a career reserve while McClellan is beset by personal problems and injuries. Rating: 2.
  • 2005: Fendi Onobun, J.P. Prince and Marcus Williams. Three years later (2007-08): The UA finishes 19-15 under interim coach Kevin O’Neill. Onobun becomes a career reserve. Prince transfers in 2007 and Williams leaves for the NBA the same year but toils in the developmental league. He now plays professionally in China. Rating: 2.
    

    Jerryd Bayless, of the Class of 2007, is the most recent recruited Arizona player to be selected in the NBA draft (Photo by Kirby Lee, US Presswire)

  • 2006: Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill and Nic Wise. Three years later (2008-09): The UA finishes 21-14 and is one of the last teams to make the NCAA tournament, extending its streak to 25 years. Hill is selected in the first round of the NBA draft while Budinger slips to the second round after leaving school early. Wise returns for his senior year and is selected an All-Pac-10 guard despite struggling through most of it. Rating: 7.
  • 2007: Jerryd Bayless, Jamelle Horne, Zane Johnson, Laval Lucas-Perry and Alex Jacobson. Three years later (2009-10): Arizona fails to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1984. Bayless is selected in the first round of the NBA draft after his freshman season in 2008. Johnson and Lucas-Perry transfer. Horne starts most of his sophomore and junior seasons but is stagnant in his development as a player and leader. Jacobson is a little-used reserve to date. Rating: 4.
  • 2008: Kyle Fogg, Jeff Withey, Brendon Lavender and Garland Judkins. Three years later: To be determined in 2010-11. Fogg, who slips through the recruiting cracks to Arizona, starts as a freshman and sophomore. Withey transfers before putting on an Arizona uniform and Judkins leaves midway through his sophomore season. Lavender starts eight games as a sophomore and only plays 16.1 minutes a game while struggling with his confidence. Rating (could change by 2011): 2.
• Head coach: Sean Miller
  • 2009: Solomon Hill, Lamont Jones, Derrick Williams, Kyryl Natyazhko and Kevin Parrom. Three years later: To be determined in 2011-12. The class gets No. 12 ranking in the nation by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Williams emerges as Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and Jones matures into more of a leadership role. Parrom’s stress fracture in his right foot affects his development as a freshman but he shows flashes of being a decent defender and strong around the basket. Hill gradually improves after showing up to school 30 pounds overweight. Natyazhko hustles and plays with tenacity but often becomes frustrated. He has the most room for improvement in this class. Rating (could change by 2012): Too early to tell but capable of 7 or more.
  • 2010: Daniel Bejarano, Jordin Mayes and Jesse Perry (Mayes and Perry have verbally committed and are expected to sign their letter of intent Wednesday). Three years later: To be determined in 2012-13. Bejarano, who captained Phoenix North to consecutive state titles, has the perimeter shooting ability Arizona lacked in 2009-10. Mayes has the ability and basketball IQ to be a strong contributor at point guard. Perry is a JC transfer who will lend some offense with his shooting ability and athleticism on rebounds and defense. Rating (could change by 2013): Too early to tell but capable of 7 or more.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 at 9:51 pm and is filed under Sports. Tags for this post: Class of 2010 recruits, Daniel Bejarano, Derrick Williams, Eric Cooper Jr., Fred Snowden, Jesse Perry, Jordin Mayes, Kadeem Jack, Lute Olson, Pete Williams, Sean Elliott, Sean Miller, Steve Kerr. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.