For those of a certain age, college basketball recruiting was synonymous with the powder blue of North Carolina. When players stayed in school three, or even four, years, top-ranked classes led the Tar Heels to National Championships in 1982 and 1993 as well as multiple Final Four appearances. When those players grew up to become elite NBA names like Jordan, Worthy, Perkins, Stackhouse, Wallace, Carter and Jamison, a continuous feedback loop of talent attracting more talent was all but assured in Chapel Hill. When Dean Smith needed a new influx of All-Americans to replace the ones he was losing, you could rest assured that another top-flight recruiting class was on the way. That was then…

Sam Perkins, Michael Jordan and Dean Smith

Nowadays, Kentucky and Duke have taken over as the clear standard-bearers of recruiting in the one-and-done era. The two schools have combined to “win” the last six years of recruiting — three times each — with the appropriate hardware to show for it — a pair of National Championships and a handful of Final Fours. North Carolina, however, has largely been missing from those recruiting battles, as shown in the table below. Over the last 10 years — which, incidentally, still resulted in two NCAA titles (2009 and 2017) making their way to Franklin Street — the Tar Heels have only notched a pair of top-five recruiting classes. The most recent was the fifth-ranked 2012 class that included eventual All-Americans Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, and previous to that was the second-ranked 2009 class that most notably included John Henson and the Wear twins.

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We are now a little over three weeks away from opening night in college basketball, so it’s time to start our preseason coverage here at the ACC microsite. Over the next several weeks we will preview the fortunes of all 15 ACC schools by projecting how each squad will maximize its strengths and mitigate its weaknesses, and we will also be reporting from ACC Operation Basketball in Charlotte later this month. But first, let’s catch up on a few of the most important storylines in the ACC since North Carolina captured its sixth NCAA Championship in Glendale last April. Here’s Part Three of our three-part series (Part One is here; Part Two is here).

Late Roster Changes

Marvin Bagley is a Game Changer in the ACC (ESPN.com)

As is usually the case, several ACC programs have experienced significant roster shakeups this offseason, with most of the departures coming from players who decided to begin their professional careers. As a matter of fact, the ACC set a new record in June with 10 players — all underclassmen — selected in the First Round of the 2017 NBA Draft. Two more early entries were selected in the Second Round. All in all, the league lost a total of 16 non-seniors to the professional ranks, including three undrafted players — Xavier Rathan-Mayes from Florida State, N.C. State’s Ted Kapita, and Jaylen Johnson from Louisville — as well as Wake Forest forward Dinos Mitoglou, who bailed on Danny Manning’s frontcourt in late July to play professionally in his home country of Greece. Three other significant ACC players decided to transfer over the summer — Taurean Thompson from Syracuse; Khadim Sy from Virginia Tech; and Pittsburgh’s Cameron Johnson, who executed the unusual intra-conference transfer, to North Carolina.

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After Ohio State’s home overtime loss to Florida Atlantic earlier this week, along with the very real threat of missing a second consecutive NCAA Tournament, it is time to admit that something might be wrong in Columbus. Head coach Thad Matta is currently in the midst of the most difficult stretch of his 13-year career with the Buckeyes after a dominant run that included two Final Four appearances, three Elite Eights, five Sweet Sixteens and four Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. The program’s momentum clearly seems to have stalled, and we’re left to wonder if this is a permanent decline for the former rising star or a just an inevitable rough patch after several years of sustained success. One possible explanation for the recent downturn is related to Matta’s recruiting stumbles in recent years — mistakes which may not be evident to many — and the cascading effects they’ve had on the current roster.

Keita Bates-Diop (right) has been good, but not quite to the level of expectations of a top 30 recruit (Jay LaPrete, AP).

In his most successful years, Matta relied on top-tier talent to fill out his roster. Ohio State landed a top 10 recruiting class in five of the six cycles between 2006-11, populated by transcendent players like Greg Oden, Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger, first round talent like Mike Conley, Daequan Cook, Kosta Koufos and Byron Mullens, and college standouts like David Lighty, Jon Diebler, Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft. Matta’s 2012 and 2013 classes, however, fell outside the top 25. The effects of this lull in talent procurement were latent because Thomas and Craft played into their upperclassmen seasons. The Buckeyes bounced back with top 10 classes in 2014 and 2015, but for various reasons their results have been mixed.

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Kansas head coach Bill Self has shown a knack for shoring up his roster with springtime signings of top-five recruits. After losing freshman Ben McLemore to the 2013 NBA Draft, Self secured a commitment from top-ranked recruit Andrew Wiggins that May. While the head coach signed his top two recruits in the fall during the next cycle, it wasn’t until April 2015 that he received a commitment from Cheick Diallo to replace Cliff Alexander. Self has done it again this spring, as the top-ranked recruit in the class according to 247 Sports, Josh Jackson, announced via Twitter that he will attend Kansas. Jackson’s commitment solidifies a team that was already the likely favorite to win a 13th straight Big 12 regular season title and will once again be among a handful of favorites to cut down the nets next April.

Josh Jackson will help solidify the wing position for Kansas in 2016-17. (Credit: USA Basketball)

Standing at 6’8″ with a 6’10” wingspan and 8’3″ reach, Jackson has the prototypical frame of elite wings at the NBA level. His size is coupled with outstanding athleticism that allows him to move quickly in every direction on the court, facilitated by a relentless intensity. His skill set is still a work in progress — he’s not yet a polished shooter and, according to DraftExpress, he was just a 61 percent free throw shooter during U-19 competition — but Jackson is unmistakably a tremendous talent. He typically plays harder than his competition and has great court vision both in transition and in the half-court. When you combine his work ethic with his physical tools, he has the potential to become a versatile defender for the Jayhawks.

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College basketball places huge emphasis on individual games — showdowns between top-ranked teams, annual rivalry clashes, single-elimination tournaments — but it’s important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture from time to time. The Media Timeout considers how fans and journalists watch, follow, and talk about the sport.

Controversy placed several college basketball programs squarely in the national spotlight last offseason. The most lurid and sensational of these headlines came from the Bluegrass State, where allegations surfaced in October that Louisville men’s basketball personnel had systematically used sex to lure high school recruits to the school over a period of several years. The outrageousness of the accusations thrust them far beyond the college hoops orbit, into and onto the TV screens, Twitter timelines, and email inboxes of news consumers everywhere.

One video, widely circulated on Twitter, used Powell’s example to attack black women, black coaches, and other groups (TnnRawNews / YouTube)

As it typically does, the intense scrutiny heightened the defensive response from Louisville fans who, under siege, predictably circled the wagons. That came as no surprise, especially considering the confusion and uncertainty that surrounded the allegations of misconduct primarily levied at former assistant Andre McGee. What should be surprising is how quickly the tenor of that response took an ugly turn, as an alarming number of fans appeared more preoccupied with discrediting the accuser on the basis of her gender and sexuality than on any perceived lack of truthfulness.

A Cultural Lightning Rod

As far as we have come as a society on the discussion of gender, that progress has been slow to trickle into the realm of sports talk, whether through social media, online comment sections or talk radio. That space, regrettably, is still the preserve of retrograde thinking about the proper place of women in sports commentary and beyond. Sadly, it is no coincidence that most of the vitriol directed at female sports journalists, especially those who weigh in on cases of alleged sexual misconduct by athletes, follows the same tried-and-true formula: dismiss her viewpoint; call her a degrading name; threaten her with sexual violence.

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Late last week Creighton‘s Greg McDermott got his first Class of 2017 commitment from Ty-Shon Alexander — a 6’4” guard from Charlotte, North Carolina, who currently plays for perennial high school power Oak Hill Academy (VA). Alexander, a player with great size at his position and who projects as a natural shooter, chose the Bluejays over Clemson and Virginia Tech. ESPN ranks him at #50 nationally in its 2017 Top 60, while 247Sports ranks him at #108 in its national composite.

Ty-Shon Alexander is on his way to Omaha.

Since he hasn’t yet started his junior prep campaign, it is way too early to project how his game will translate to the next level when he gets to Omaha. What really stands out already, though, is his comfort using both hands to handle the ball and finish at the rim. He will have the opportunity to play with Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster, a former all-Big 12 selection who will be a redshirt senior during Alexander’s freshman campaign. That 2017-18 season will be Creighton’s fifth in a major basketball conference, and at that point the caliber of players on the roster should be completely turned over. High-level recruits such as Ronnie Harrell (Class of 2014) and Justin Patton (Class of 2015) will by then be veterans and Alexander will just be the next name to add to the list.

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Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitment of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.

Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.

On Friday night prep small forward Jaylen Brown shocked the recruiting world and committed to California, spurning the likes of Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina in the process. With his second top-10 commitment in a month, Cuonzo Martin will have all eyes on him as his program makes the leap to become a favorite in the Pac-12 and a contender in the national title race. The 6’7” Brown is considered the No. 1 player in the country by Scout.com and among the top three from both ESPN and Rivals. DraftExpress also lists Brown in the No. 2 spot in their 2016 Mock Draft. The senior is a physically imposing small forward who at 220 pounds will make an impact on the Berkeley campus from Day 1. His playing style is that he prefers to attack the basket off the dribble while his outside shot is steadily improving. The young star is quite often compared to former Arizona star, Stanley Johnson, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and All-American who averaged 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in his lone season in Tucson.

Brown’s recruiting history has been a mixed bag. The Marietta (GA) native took official visits to both Kansas and Kentucky for their Midnight Madness events last fall. He tacked on a UCLA official during the first weekend of November followed by a North Carolina visit for its exciting win over Louisville in January. Instead of cutting his list of college suitors down as his senior year progressed, however, Brown expanded it. After hitting the game-winning free throws in the Georgia 6A state championship, the senior took his last official visit to Michigan in March and then went on a surprise unofficial visit to California immediately afterward. He played his cards close to the vest and kept everyone guessing about where he was headed until the very last minute. He eliminated Kansas, Georgia, and Georgia Tech in the week prior to his announcement, and after his high school basketball banquet last week, he continued a curious trend of some five-star players spurning the college elite in committing to an unheralded Cal program.

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Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitment of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.

Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.

Maryland exceeded expectations by going 28-7 in its first Big Ten season and now Mark Turgeon’s club is doing the same on the recruiting front with the unexpected weekend commitment of five-star center Diamond Stone, the No. 4 prospect in the senior class. The 6’10” big man from Milwaukee committed to the Terps on Friday night and in turn significantly raised expectations for Maryland next season.

Stone’s name first popped on the radar in 2012 as he established himself as an overpowering freshman. He won a Wisconsin Division 4 championship that year and didn’t stop from there, having just capped off his fourth title in a row at Dominican High School with a 23-point, 15-rebound performance. Through it all, Stone maintained his status as one of the top players in his class and at times held down the overall No. 1 ranking. Over the past two summers, Stone was a regular with the USA basketball program, winning gold medals at the U-16 FIBA Americas event and at the U-17 FIBA World Championships. He started all 12 games for Team USA and averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds and 13.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, respectively, during those international events.

Recruitment

Stone’s recruitment has been a long and winding road with many twists and turns. Local powers Wisconsin and Marquette established themselves early with the Golden Eagles rumored to be the leader with Stone taking numerous unofficial visits to the campus right next door. Schools from all over the country soon joined that pair in the race as Stone received offers from Georgetown, Indiana, Duke, North Carolina and UCLA. When Buzz Williams left for Virginia Tech a year ago, Marquette received a commitment from Henry Ellenson and dropped out. The four schools that remained were Wisconsin, Connecticut, Oklahoma State and Maryland, with the College Park school seeming like the longest shot. UConn was discussed as the leader as recently as last summer (and a package deal with Malik Newman was supposedly in play), but Stone took official visits to all four schools in October and liked Maryland the best.

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Who’s Got Next? is a weekly column by Sean Moran, the RTC recruiting guru. Once a week he will bring you an overview of what’s going on in the complex world of recruiting, from who is signing where among the seniors to discussing the recruitment of the top uncommitted players in the country. We also encourage you to check out his contributions at The Intentional Foul dedicated to recruiting coverage and analysis. You can also follow Sean at his Twitter account @Seanmohoops for up-to-date news from the high school and college hoops scene. If you have any suggestions as to areas we are missing or different things you would like to see, please let us know at rushthecourt@yahoo.com.

Note: Scout.com used for all player rankings.

Big Recruiting Weekend in Berkeley Already Paying Dividends

Three-star small forward Davon Dillard committed to California Sunday afternoon after watching the Golden Bears take down Oregon State on Senior Night. It was billed as the biggest recruiting weekend in three years in Berkeley and definitely the biggest weekend in Cuonzo Martin’s short tenure. Lacking a recruit in the class of 2015, California played host to its top target in Ivan Rabb, a 6’10” five-star recruit from the Bay Area, five-star power forward Caleb Swanigan, and the three-star Dillard. While Cal didn’t get the coveted commitment from Rabb, Dillard’s commitment keeps the positive momentum moving. In Martin’s first season, a NIT berth most likely awaits for the Golden Bears (17-12 overall; 7-9 in Pac-12 play). They will graduate their third-leading scorer in David Kravish and there is a good possibility that 6’5” junior Tyrone Wallace could leave school early for the NBA Draft. With Dillard locked up, though, the Bears will get a tough-minded and athletic forward who can finish above the rim and is also a threat from outside the arc. With one good commitment now in the fold, Martin can focus on landing a big man to replace Kravish. Rabb has been Martin’s top target from the moment he took the job in Berkeley and he will look to convince the Bishop O’ Dowd star to stay at home and help get his local school get back to the NCAA Tournament. Along with Cal, Rabb is also considering Arizona, UCLA, Kentucky and Kansas. While Rabb is in the mix for the Bears, it might be harder to sign Swanigan, who has visited schools all over the country including Arizona, Kentucky, Duke, Notre Dame and Purdue. In an extremely important weekend for the future of the program, California put together an impressive showing on the court and then locked up an athletic wing with Martin’s first recruit at the school.

Top Junior Takes First Official Visit

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Carlton Bragg, a 6-foot-8 forward from Cleveland, announced that he’ll attend Kansas on Thursday afternoon. Bragg is ranked as the 14th best player in the class of 2015 by Rivals.com. He is the first commitment for Bill Self’s 2015 recruiting class. DraftExpress‘ Jonathan Givony–one of the nation’s foremost experts in scouting–writes that Bragg already has the body of collegiate athlete with a strong frame for his age and a 6-foot-9 wingspan. Bragg is aggressive on the offensive end with the ability to play above the rim, especially on the fast break, something easily identifiable in any of his mixtapes. He is also a good shot blocker who can use his frame and long arms to make a game tough on his opponents.

Carlton Bragg offers Kansas another prospect with a lot of upside (Lonnie Timmons III/The Plain Dealer)

As with any recruit, Bragg is a bit rough around the edges. He needs to exhibit more consistent effort on the court and some of his fundamentals need work. Bragg has been able to use his athleticism to coast at times on the defensive end. He’ll also need to learn to work within a halfcourt offense at the collegiate level. He has a tendency to settle for jump shots, which is a common trait amongst taller players who have the ability to shoot over their defenders. He needs to develop his ball-handling in order to become more of a threat when facing up his defender. Still, Bragg has plenty of upside and will be a good fit in Self’s system at Kansas.

Bragg’s athleticism and ability to shoot from mid-range suggest that he has the ability to be a face-up power forward for the Jayhawks. His height puts him in a bit of position limbo for the NBA, but he’s certainly tall enough to play in the froncourt in college. Eric Bossi of Rivals.com says that Bragg can help Kansas initiate their offense from the high post in ways similar to past Jayhawks like Marcus Morris or Darrell Arthur. While he doesn’t have the handle of a player like Perry Ellis, Bragg will develop under Self as Kansas has a strong history of training quality big men that Bragg will benefit from.

As I wrote back in November, the Big 12 has been struggling in recruiting the 2015 class having garnered only five commitments from top 100 recruits at that time. Bragg represents the highest ranked recruit so far to commit to a school in the conference, and its not a shock that he’s headed to Kansas who consistently produces strong recruiting classes. The Jayhawks have one remaining scholarship–assuming neither Kelly Oubre or Cliff Alexander leave for the NBA Draft–and are still in on a number of remaining top 20 recruits. Self has said he wanted the class to focus on big men, so look for him to make a strong push for a player like Stephen Zimmerman in the spring.