Sean Miller has the best recruiting class in the nation, hands down. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Sean Miller has the unanimous No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, although he won’t comment on it until Monday.
He’s waiting until Grant Jerrett signs at a ceremony at his high school — Lutheran High in La Verne, Calif.
In the meantime, plenty of others are commenting about Arizona’s recruiting haul that includes four top 50 players, as rated by six different organizations.
There is 6-8 power forward Brandon Ashley (who might eventually be able to play a small forward position), 7-footer Kaleb Tarczewski, shooting guard Gabe York and Jerrett, a 6-9 power forward.
Perhaps the best quote came from Dave Telep, a senior recruiting analyst for ESPN.com.
“You could dump Sean Miller in Russia, and he’s going to come up with a great recruiting class,” Telep told USA Today.
“He’s a chameleon. There were questions about bringing an East Coast guy out west — how would it work? (The Wildcats) own the West Coast right now.”
Ashley, from Oakland, plays for Findlay Prep in the Las Vegas area, the same powerhouse school that produced Arizona freshman Nick Johnson. York is from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran. Tarczewski is an East Coast kid who plays for St. Mark’s in Southborough (Mass.).
Here is a look at how major recruiting sites rank UA’s recruits nationally:
| Player | Scout | Rivals | ESPNU | CBS Sports | 247sports | Hot100hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Ashley | 3 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Kaleb Tarczewski | 8 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 7 |
| Grant Jerrett | 23 | 50 | 9 | 23 | 37 | 10 |
| Gabe York | 42 | 31 | 36 | 35 | 30 | 31 |
While the team recruiting rankings could change when other recruits sign in the spring, Arizona is the undisputed champ for now.
Here is a sampling of what others are saying:
Evan Daniels, Scout.com
So what is Miller’s secret?
For AAU and high school coaches there seems to be a level of respect for how he handles the recruiting process.
Oakland Soldier coach Mark Olivier, who coached Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson, as well as current commit Brandon Ashley, said his down to earth approach has been a big part of it.
“Honesty,” Olivier said when asked about Miller. “When you talk to him he really cares about the kids and their lives. He comes over as honest to me. He’s a straight shooter.”
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Jeff Goodman, CBSSports.com
(T)his was a program with as much instability as any in the nation a few years ago.
It appeared to be in the same realm as Indiana, a major rebuilding process that could take years for it to be nationally relevant again.
Now Miller, just two years removed, is beating Kentucky and Phil Knight, I mean Oregon, for studs like Ashley. He got John Calipari twice this year and also nabbed Tarczewski over Kansas and North Carolina.
That’s mind-boggling.
Read the rest at CBSSports.com …
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Rob Harrington, 247sports.com
Sean Miller’s top-rated class included taking care of business in the West while moving east and stunning Kansas for Tarczewski. You can follow recruiting for a long time without witnessing a class that includes three top-40 big men and two within the national top 10. The Wildcats already boast ample young talent and loaded up in the backcourt last year, so this year’s frontcourt emphasis provides the roster greater balance. Meanwhile, York is a flashy scorer who is among the bounciest guards in the class.
Read the rest at 247sports.com …
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Dick Vitale, ESPN analyst
Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic broke down the Pac-12 recruiting classes and spoke to Vitale about Arizona’s group:
“I’m not really surprised,” Vitale said. “I’ve always felt, when he was at Xavier, that Sean was one of the master communicators and a rising star in the coaching profession. I spoke to Sean recently and we were talking about how I firmly believe he’s really started to bring back that Arizona spirit. Things are really rolling big time. … Sean’s done a phenomenal job. Recruiting is the heart and soul of whether you’re going to be successful in college. You’re not winning without great players. I don’t care who you are. And they’re heading in that direction.”