How Many Five-Star Recruits From 2011 Are Left?

Rating high school players is an in-exact science. Just look at the recruiting rankings for 2011. In total Scout.com gave 27 players a five-star ranking and as we get set to enter the 2014-15 college basketball season there are only six of those five-star players remaining. Anthony Davis was the No. 1 ranked recruit and he certainly lived up to the billing leading Kentucky to a championship during his only season in college and is now an elite player in the NBA. Teams spent high draft picks on other members of the 2011 draft class with varying degrees of success including Andre Drummond, Bradley Beal, Austin Rivers, and Cody Zeller. Other five-star players were not so lucky. James Michael McAdoo went undrafted after three years at UNC and Marquis Teague is out of the NBA after getting drafted in the late first round in 2012. After 27 players were deemed five-star recruits just 11 are in the NBA (including Quincy Miller who was recently waived by the Nuggets) while 10 are out of the league (or in the D-League), and 6 are still in college. For the remaining college players, they still have one season left to impress NBA scouts. 

No. 9 - LeBryan Nash, 6’6”, SF, Oklahoma State

The highest rated prospect of the 2012 class still in college. The athletic wing expected to be a one and done player, but is now a senior for the Cowboys. He spent part of his freshman season injured and averaged 13.3 points and 5 rebounds per game. His field goal attempts have decreased each year and his efficiency has risen. As a junior Nash averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds with a 109.5 ORtg. He had some big games in league play including a 29 point performance against West Virginia, but Nash only managed to score 6 points in a first round loss to Gonzaga last year. Heading into his season year, Nash was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12.

No. 14 – Branden Dawson, 6’6”, SF, Michigan State

Last year Dawson was the third leading scorer for an underachieving Spartans squad. This year he will be “the man” for a relatively inexperienced Michigan State team. Despite missing nine league games in a row last year, Dawson scored in double figures as Michigan State cruised to the Big 10 tournament title. The athletic wing had monster games in the tournament against Harvard and Virginia but struggled mightily in a low scoring loss to UConn in the Elite 8. Dawson finished his junior season averaging 11.2 points and 8.3 rebounds to go along with a 123.3 ORtg. Dawson received votes for the AP preseason All-American team, but he was not named to the All-Big ten first team. In his three year career Dawson is 0-9 from the three point line. Will he hit his first as a senior?

No. 17 – Wayne Blackshear, 6’5”, G/F, Louisville

Blackshear has a championship to his name, but he has not experienced the type of career that many expected coming out of the Windy City. He lost most of his freshmen year to injury and then played 20.1 minutes a game as a sophomore and 19.6 last year. He averaged 7.6 points as a sophomore and 8.2 points last year. With Russ Smith no longer in the line-up will Blackshear become a consistent double-digit scorer for the Cardinals?

No. 21 – Rakeem Christmas, 6’9”, Power Forward, Syracuse

Christmas has been one of the anchors in Syracuse’s 2-3 zone over the last two seasons averaging almost two blocks per game. As a freshman Christmas averaged 11.5 minutes and just 2.8 points per game. His playing time doubled; however he only averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds a game as a senior. With the loss of three starters, Christmas will be expected to steady a Cuse team in the beginning part of the year.

No. 24 – Kyle Wiltjer, 6’10”, Small Forward, Gonzaga

Wiltjer spent his first two years at Kentucky. The first winning a championship in minimal minutes and the second with a first round loss in the NIT. The Oregon native averaged 10.2 points and shot 37% from behind the arc during his sophomore season. With a much ballyhooed freshmen class arriving in Lexington, Wiltjer decided to transfer back to the Pacific Northwest. After sitting out a red-shirt year, he will join an extremely experienced and talented Gonzaga team that is ranked No. 13 in the nation by the AP voters.  

No. 27 – Dorian Finney-Smith, 6’8”, Small Forward, Florida

Finney-Smith was the biggest name recruit to sign with Virginia Tech and he decided to leave Blacksburg after his freshman year. The talented small forward sat out the 2012-12 season and played 25.8 minutes per game for the Gators who were ranked as the top team in the country for most of the year. With his role expected to increase as a junior, Finney-Smith will need to improve on his 37% field goal percentage. As a sophomore he averaged 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. 

Rank	School, Hometown	Hgt / Wgt	School	Yrs in NCAA?	NBA?	Notes
1	Anthony Davis	6-9/190	Kentucky	1	Y	No. 1 pick, soon to be NBA All-Star, Avg 24.4 pts, 12.8 rbs, 4.4 bpg
2	Andre Drummond	6-11/265	Connecticut	1	Y	No. 9 pick, Avg 10.4 rbs per game for Pistons and 10.8 ppg
3	Austin Rivers	6-5/180	Duke	1	Y	No. 10 pick, averaging 21 minutes and 7 ppg, struggled in first two years.
4	Quincy Miller	6-9/195	Baylor	1	Y	No. 38 pick, recently waived by Nuggets, interest from Lakers
5	James Michael McAdoo	6-8/220	North Carolina	3	N	Cut by Golden State after going undrafted
6	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	6-6/190	Kentucky	1	Y	No. 2 pick, 9.4 pts and 5.6 rebounds in third season
7	Brad Beal	6-3/180	Florida	1	Y	No. 3 pick, Currently injured, shined in playoffs last year for the Wiz
8	Marquis Teague	6-1/165	Kentucky	1	N	No. 29 pick, cut by Nets, selected 9th in the NBA D-League draft
9	LeBryan Nash	6-6/210/13.6	Oklahoma State	4	C	Senior at Oklahoma State
10	Adonis Thomas	6-6/190	Memphis	2	N	Waived by Pacers, played a total of 6 games in the NBA
11	Myck Kabongo	6-2/170	Texas	2	N	Undrafted, plays for Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the D-League
12	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	6-6/175	Georgia	2	Y	No. 8 pick (2013), Avg 13.4 ppg for Pistons, but just a 10.0 PER
13	Cody Zeller	6-10/210	Indiana	2	Y	No. 4 (2013), 23 minutes and 9 pts per game in 2014
14	Branden Dawson	6-6/210	Michigan State	4	C	Senior at Michigan State
15	Khem Birch	6-8/210	Pittsburgh --> UNLV	3	N	Undrafted in 2014 draft
16	Josiah Turner	6-3/175	Arizona	1	N	Los Angeles D-Fenders D-League
17	Wayne Blackshear	6-5/215	Louisville	4	C	Senior at Louisville
18	Jabari Brown	6-5/200	Oregon --> Missouri	3	N	Undrafted, Waived by Lakers
19	Tony Wroten	6-4/170	Washington	1	Y	No. 25 pick, playing for worst team in the NBA, but avg's 22.5 ppg, 7 apg, and 4.5 rpg
20	Jarnell Stokes	6-8/250	Tennessee	3	N	Grizzlies assigned to Iowa Energy - D League
21	Rakeem Christmas	6-9/230	Syracuse	4	C	Senior at Syracuse
22	P.J. Hairston	6-5/230	North Carolina	2	Y	Played in D-League last year and drafted by Hornets in 1st round in 2014.
23	B.J. Young	6-2/160	Arkansas	2	N	Undrafted, plays for the Delaware 87ers D-League
24	Kyle Wiltjer	6-9/225	Kentucky --> Gonzaga	4	C	Junior at Gonzaga
25	Chane Behanan	6-7/240	Louisville	3	N	Rio Grande Valley Vipers D-League
26	Rodney Hood	6-7/185	Mississippi State --> Duke	3	Y	Rookie with the Jazz. Averaging 15 minutes and 4 ppg.
27	Dorian Finney-Smith	6-7/190	Virginia Tech --> Florida	4	C	Junior at Florida

Oh yeah, let's not forget about players that have outplayed their high school ranking. Some players that played above their four-star ranking out of high school included Nick Johnson (#29), Otto Porter (#30), Michael Carter-Williams (#35), Ryan Boatright (#77), and Trey Burke (#94).

2011 McDonald's Look Back: East

With the 2013 McDonald’s All-American game kicking off tonight it’s time to take a look back at the 2011 class and see how they fared in their second season out of high school. The 2011 class featured five first round draft picks in the 2012 draft and four players that helped Kentucky win a national championship. While the 2011 class made their mark in college it is also worth noting that the only two sophomores to make the 2013 NCAA All-American team were Trey Burke (Michigan) and Otto Porter (Georgetown), both of whom did not participate in the McDonald’s game. In 2011, the East squad emerged victorious as all of the players listed below finished in double figures.

Name	School	Rank
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	Kentucky	3
Bradley Beal	Florida	4
James Michael McAdoo	UNC	6
P.J. Hairston	UNC	11
Kentavious Caldwell Pope	UGA	15
Rakeem Christmas	Syracuse	21
Chane Behanan	Louisville	24
Michael Carter-Williams	Syracuse	25
Quinn Cook	Duke	31
Shannon Scott	Ohio St.	32
Johnny O'Bryant	LSU	39
Marshall Plumlee	Duke	61

*Rankings based on RSCI. Click here for last year's recap on the 2011 East squad.

*2011 West Look Back

One and Done:

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (6’6” SF)

Once an integral part of John Calipari’s first NCAA championship, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is now subjected to playing for the worst team in the NBA. As the 2^nd draft pick, MKG was exiled to the Charlotte Bobcats. MKG got off to a great start during the first two months of the NBA season averaging almost 11 points and 6 rebounds per game which included a 25 and 12 performance in just his fifth game. In the New Year his production dropped off as his shooting percentage dropped under 40% for January and February. Despite the constant losing, MKG played in almost all of the Bobcats’ games and recently put up a double-double. Coming into the NBA, outside shooting was MKG’s biggest weakness. Despite a solid rookie season, this weakness still exists for MKG as he is only 2-9 from the three point line. After getting his feet wet as a rookie, MKG will need to carry the stellar play showed throughout his first two months over to the entire sophomore campaign.  

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	PER
NBA	25.6	8.9	5.5	1.5	45.1%	13.92

Bradley Beal (6’3” SG)

With the third pick in the draft, the Washington Wizards selected Bradley Beal from Florida. As the Wizards started the season off 0-12 without the services of John Wall, Beal got off to a slow start as well. In December, Beal started to show why draft personnel were high on him as he scored in double figures during 10 out of the Wizards 12 games. Coinciding with Wall’s return in January, Beal’s season started to take off as well averaging 15.1, 17.5, and 13.4 points per game in January, February, and March, respectively. One of Beal’s best games came against the Knicks in which he had 29 points and 11 rebounds. With the rise of Wall and Beal in the same backcourt, Wizards fans have to be feeling good. The only downfall is the injury bug as Beal missed 17 games throughout his rookie season.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	PER
NBA	31.2	13.9	3.8	2.4	40.9%	13.58

Sophomore Production:

Michael Carter-Williams (6’5” PG)

Last year in this same space it was noted that “Going into his sophomore year, Michael Carter-Williams will look to follow the path of Dion Waiters. Waiters struggled to get PT his first year and is currently entering the NBA draft.” While Waiters went from playing 16 minutes as a freshman to 24 minutes as a sophomore, MCW went from 10 minutes a game to 35. Probably the most improved player in the country, MCW started the year with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists against San Diego State and almost recorded a triple double a few games later against Arkansas (17 pts, 10 rbs, 9 assists). Standing at 6’5,” MCW created a nightmare for opposing guards on the offensive end as well as on the defensive end in Syracuse’s patented 2-3 zone. These miss-matches were highlighted in the upset win over Indiana in the Sweet 16 where MCW terrorized the short Indiana guards and scored a season high 24 points in the process. During the regular season, MCW finished 3^rd in the nation in assists with 7.7 per game. Despite the eye popping numbers, MCW continues to struggle with his overall shooting numbers (29.7% from 3 and 39.7% FG’s) which are slightly down from his freshman averages. With Syracuse advancing to the Final Four, NBA scouts will be keeping a close eye on MCW to see if he deserves his top 15 prospect rating. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	10.3	2.7	1.5	2.1	43.1%	112.3 (18.7)
Sophomore	35.2	12.1	4.9	7.4	39.7%	104.0 (24.8)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (6’6” SG)

Last year KCP was the first McDonalds All-American signed by Georgia since 1992 and this year he was the first Georgia player to win SEC player of the year since Dominique Wilkins in 1981. While Georgia only went 15-17 overall and 9-9 in SEC play, KCP was one of, if not THE most consistent player in the country. On a team where the second leading scorer only averaged 7.9 ppg, KCP scored in double figures in all 32 games. At the end of the year, KCP put up 25 points and 9 rebounds in a win against Tennessee and 24 points and 10 rebounds in an upset win over Kentucky. In UGA’s last game of the season against LSU, KCP had 32 points and 13 rebounds in a five point loss to LSU. If that becomes KCP’s last game in a Bulldog uniform it might be another 30 years before fans see another conference player of the year. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	32.1	13.2	5.2	1.2	39.6%	103.7 (23.3)
Sophomore	33.9	18.5	7.1	1.8	43.3%	112.7 (27.3)

P.J. Hairston (6’5” G/F)

A volume shooter, Hairston struggled for time and shots as a freshman playing behind Harrison Barnes. Despite only shooting 30.8% as a freshman, Tar Heel fans still had high expectations for his sophomore campaign. While it took longer than expected, the real P.J. Hairston was finally unleashed on February 13^th. During non-conference play Hairston had some ups (18 points against Miss. St., 15 points against UNLV, 14 points in the first half against BC) and some downs (2-12 shooting against Texas) as UNC struggled to stay in tournament contention. On February 13^th, Roy Williams inserted Hairston into the starting line-up at the “4” spot. Hairston opened up the team’s offense and averaged 18.2 points per game through the remainder of the year as UNC turned their season around. While Hairston was electric in many of the wins he was also fairly quite against Duke to end the regular season along with the first half of their tournament game against Kansas, both blowout losses. Hairston has NBA potential written all over him, but will soon decide if he wants to be one of the top players in the ACC next year or come off the bench for an NBA team. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	13	5.7	2.2	0.8	30.8%	103.4 (22.2)
Sophomore	23.6	14.6	4.3	1.4	43.1%	120.3 (25.2)

James Michael McAdoo (6’8” PF)

After a breakout NCAA tournament last year, big things were expected from James Michael McAdoo with the departure of UNC big men John Henson and Tyler Zeller to the NBA. While JMM’s point production more than doubled his draft stock slipped tremendously. With the majority of UNC’s prior year production off to the NBA, McAdoo went from a little used reserve to a starter that used 27.4 % of Tar Heel possessions. While his usage jumped up, his offensive efficiency decreased tremendously. McAdoo started the year off with a bang against Gardner Webb putting up 26 points and 14 rebounds but both his field goal and free throw percentage turned out to be sub-par throughout the year. Using his trademark athleticism, McAdoo scored in double figures in every ACC game but three for the Tar Heels. Also, with the insertion of P.J. Hairston into the line-up McAdoo was forced to play center, a position he was not accustomed to. McAdoo had some games in which he was running the court and hitting jump shots and looked like one of the top players in the country, but there were also games where he struggled and looked lost like the 5-19 performance against Kansas. UNC big men John Henson and Sean May made significant jumps from their sophomore to junior year. Will McAdoo do the same or will his jump be to the NBA?

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	15.6	6.1	3.9	0.3	43.4%	101.0 (19.9)
Sophomore	29.9	14.4	7.3	1.1	44.5%	91.3 (27.4)

Quinn Cook (6’1” PG)

Based on his excellent offensive rating as a freshman (117.8) in limited minutes (11.7), Quinn Cook was an ideal breakout candidate for his sophomore campaign. Cook came off the bench in his first two games but after a solid performance against Kentucky he went on to start the remaining 34 games beginning with Florida Gulf Coast University. Cook brought defensive intensity but was often hot and cold on the offensive end. In the opening game of ACC play, Cook went 0-11 from the field with 14 assists and then followed that up with a 27 point (12-16 FG’s), 5 rebound, 5 assist performance. A former DC All-Met Player of the Year, Cook spent most of the ACC season in double figures before tailing off in tournament play. Beginning with Duke’s opening loss to Maryland in the ACC tournament, Cook shot 26% from the field for the remainder of the season. Cook took large strides in his sophomore campaign but will need to lead the perimeter dominated Blue Devils for the whole year in 2013-14.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	11.7	4.4	1	1.9	40.5%	117.8 (21.0)
Sophomore	33.6	11.7	3.8	5.3	41.6%	109.1 (21.2)

Johnny O’Bryant (6’9” PF)

On a team that featured five players in double figures, Johnny O’ Bryant led the way with 13.6 points per game as LSU went 19-12 during the year. Last year O’ Bryant had one of the worst efficiency to usage rates in college basketball. While his usage rate stayed relatively even, his offensive efficiency rating increased 9.9 points. Still not good, but definitely an improvement which helped O’Bryant make first team all-SEC. A double double machine during SEC play, O’ Bryant had his best game in a win against South Carolina with 30 points and 10 rebounds on 13-19 shooting. Throughout conference play, he had 12 double doubles in 18 games. Overall, O’ Bryant increased his minutes per game by almost 20% while also drastically increasing his field goal percentage from a paltry 39.9% as a freshman to 48%. Next year it will be O’ Bryant’s responsibility to show continued improvement in all areas while leading the Tigers to a tourney bid.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	21.4	8.5	6.7	0.4	39.9%	84.2 (28.6)
Sophomore	29.1	13.6	8.7	1.7	48.0%	94.1 (28.2)

Chane Behanan (6’6” PF)

Two years in college and two final four appearances for Chane Behanan. Last year Behanan and the Cards were just happy to be in New Orleans, but this year they are the favorites to cut down the nets in Atlanta. Behanan played significant minutes as a freshman and so far has stayed strong at 26 minutes per game despite additional depth in the front-court with the emergence of Montrezl Harrell. Behanan dominated at times during the early part of the year recording a 12 point, 18 rebound performance in his second game and scoring in double figures in six out of seven December games. During Big East play, Behanan had a monster performance in the never ending 5 OT thriller against Notre Dame (30 points and 15 rebounds), but started to see less shots come his way when March arrived. Starting with the Big East tournament, Behanan has not scored over eight points; however he also has not shot less than 50%. With the Final Four around the corner, Behanan’s rebounding and toughness could play a crucial role in Louisville’s final outcome.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	26	9.5	7.5	0.8	51.0%	102.2 (20.9)
Sophomore	26	9.6	6.3	1.1	50.5%	103.3 (21.6)

Rakeem Christmas (6’8 C)

Last year Rakeem Christmas started 35 out of 37 games, but played only 11.5 minutes in these contests. When the Orangeman lost Fab Melo for the tournament, Christmas was forced into playing significant minutes in the tournament which resulted in an 8 point, 11 rebound performance against Kansas State. Based on this output, expectations were high for Christmas in his sophomore season and he started 39 out of 39 games while increase his playing time to almost 21 minutes per game. While his per game averages all increased and the fact that he brings an imposing presence to the back of the 2-3 zone, Christmas did not record one double-double all year and only scored in double figures in two conference games. Over the past seven games Christmas only saw 20+ minutes one time. While he does rank 20^th in the country in Block %, Christmas will need to spend the summer working on his offensive game in order to become more than just a starter.

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	11.5	2.8	2.9	0.2	57.3%	105.4 (14.3)
Sophomore	20.8	5.1	4.6	0.2	52.8%	105.2 (13.8)

Shannon Scott (6’2” PG)

One year after struggling as a back-up to Aaron Craft, sophomore guard Shannon Scott doubled his minutes and greatly improved upon his porous 67.8 offensive rating. Despite not starting any games, Scott was a valuable member off the bench for the Buckeyes helping them to a road win in Bloomington, IN as well as an Elite 8 finish. One of Scott’s best games came in a home loss to Kansas when he dropped in a season high 15 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. In Big 10 and tournament play, Scott had his ups and downs as a reserve going for 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists (Iona) in one game to 4 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists in another (Arizona). After getting his feet as a sophomore, another substantial improvement will be expected of Scott next year. 

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Freshman	10.6	1.2	1.1	1.7	28.2%	67.8 (16.3)
Sophomore	20.9	4.9	2.8	3.8	40.8%	107.0 (18.6)

Where Is He?

Marshall Plumlee (6’11” C)

Last year with two older brothers in established roles Duke decided to red-shirt the youngest of the Plumlee brothers, Marshall. This year with brother Miles making a run at first team All-American, Marshall struggled to overcome an early season injury to make a meaningful contribution to the Blue Devils. This year Plumlee has appeared in just 18 games averaging 2.7 minutes per contest. Mason’s best game came in at the start of the ACC season when he received seven minutes of playing time and scored two points in a blowout win over Wake Forest. Next year, Mason will be the only true big man on Duke’s roster and with a summer full of practice will look to make the same type of jump Wisconsin big man Brian Butch did from his red-shirt freshman year to sophomore year (9.7 minutes and 3.6 ppg to 24.1 minutes and 9.9 ppg).

Year	Min	PPG	RBG	APG	FG%	ORTG
Red-Shirt
RS Freshman	2.7	0.1	0.6	0.1	0.125	N/A