So it got me thinking because the staff is so good at identifying the type of players we want, but I had to go back a few recruiting classes just to get an idea of who we got, who we kinda missed on and did Tony just finally figure out the last few years the type of player and athlete needed to be elite?
Disclaimer: this is not Tony bashing at all because I think he's a very fabulous recruiter, but at the same time some of the pieces signed were either to fill needs early on or misses because of our defensive philosophy.
11-
Atkins
Brogdon
Jesperson
Obviously with DA and MB we got two of the better players we've had in years. Jesperson was obviously a defensive liability, but my god if he would've been able to stick around how his shot especially last season could've been used, so I give that class a B+.
12-
Anderson
Barnette
Jones
Nolte
Tobey
Anderson was the gem. Once again I think Tony was trying to find shooters, but Barnette was never going to be a solid ACC player. Jones was the perfect teammate and his dance moves were almost house party like, but again another guy that wasn't going to be a solid ACC player. Nolte is a hard worker, but the shooter we expected him to be to this point has never come around. Tobey has always been an enigma. Remember at one point people ranking this guy as a top 15 pick and maybe two or three times a year he plays like it. This class gets a C because at the end of the day as many bodies as we took in this class it was a disappointment from the standpoint the whole class never really stood out the way they should've.
13-
Hall
LP
This class to me may end up being the best or one of the best in the TB era.
LP has been a gem as a PG and will be a 4 year starter. Hall is finally coming around to the point I'm willing to bet next season we see LP off the ball a lot. This class is an A right now and could be A plus by next year. Tony upgraded the position in this class alone and did a really good job identifying talent.
14-
Salt
Shayok
Stith
Wilkins
Another class where we might've overreached a bit when we are just starting to be on the national stage. Losing Stith was tough, but not sure he would have made an impact. Salt is very raw and I still feel he is two years away, but will be a complementary piece to what we have later. Shayok is the enigma of this class and where I had super high hopes he could be all ACC, I think the guy will just be a decent player who at times can play above his talent. Wilkins might be the star of this class when all is said and done. This class is a C- or D at best. I feel this class should've been better from the standpoint we had just started to arrive on the national stage, but three of these guys may have potential to turn this class into a B because of the pieces that have been assembled in front of them.
15-
Diakite
Reuter
Again, another two-man class that could potentially be an A. Upside is the word here. JR could fit right along side AN by his JR year. Diakite does have potential to be a star if we're very patient with him, so this class potentially has high upside, but is to be determined.
16-
Guy
Huff
Hunter
Jerome
This is the class Tony should've had in 14. This class is the one that finally puts us on the national stage as a player for years to come. Obviously we haven't seen them step foot on the court yet, but I expect Guy to be a stud, Huff to be a player by year 3, Jerome will be a better SZ and Hunter might be the most underrated of the group. We need at least two guys out of the four to be above average players. This is the class Tony finally made an impact and will keep doing so.
Obviously it took some time for the staff to get a foot in the door in the very hectic confines of college basketball recruiting. To be honest we probably had more reaches than hits, but with his style of defense and the fact that Virginia just became a player a few years ago you're going to have that, but we have arrived and not only do the players know it, but moms and dads do too and we know how important mom is to our recruiting.
Disclaimer: this is not Tony bashing at all because I think he's a very fabulous recruiter, but at the same time some of the pieces signed were either to fill needs early on or misses because of our defensive philosophy.
11-
Atkins
Brogdon
Jesperson
Obviously with DA and MB we got two of the better players we've had in years. Jesperson was obviously a defensive liability, but my god if he would've been able to stick around how his shot especially last season could've been used, so I give that class a B+.
12-
Anderson
Barnette
Jones
Nolte
Tobey
Anderson was the gem. Once again I think Tony was trying to find shooters, but Barnette was never going to be a solid ACC player. Jones was the perfect teammate and his dance moves were almost house party like, but again another guy that wasn't going to be a solid ACC player. Nolte is a hard worker, but the shooter we expected him to be to this point has never come around. Tobey has always been an enigma. Remember at one point people ranking this guy as a top 15 pick and maybe two or three times a year he plays like it. This class gets a C because at the end of the day as many bodies as we took in this class it was a disappointment from the standpoint the whole class never really stood out the way they should've.
13-
Hall
LP
This class to me may end up being the best or one of the best in the TB era.
LP has been a gem as a PG and will be a 4 year starter. Hall is finally coming around to the point I'm willing to bet next season we see LP off the ball a lot. This class is an A right now and could be A plus by next year. Tony upgraded the position in this class alone and did a really good job identifying talent.
14-
Salt
Shayok
Stith
Wilkins
Another class where we might've overreached a bit when we are just starting to be on the national stage. Losing Stith was tough, but not sure he would have made an impact. Salt is very raw and I still feel he is two years away, but will be a complementary piece to what we have later. Shayok is the enigma of this class and where I had super high hopes he could be all ACC, I think the guy will just be a decent player who at times can play above his talent. Wilkins might be the star of this class when all is said and done. This class is a C- or D at best. I feel this class should've been better from the standpoint we had just started to arrive on the national stage, but three of these guys may have potential to turn this class into a B because of the pieces that have been assembled in front of them.
15-
Diakite
Reuter
Again, another two-man class that could potentially be an A. Upside is the word here. JR could fit right along side AN by his JR year. Diakite does have potential to be a star if we're very patient with him, so this class potentially has high upside, but is to be determined.
16-
Guy
Huff
Hunter
Jerome
This is the class Tony should've had in 14. This class is the one that finally puts us on the national stage as a player for years to come. Obviously we haven't seen them step foot on the court yet, but I expect Guy to be a stud, Huff to be a player by year 3, Jerome will be a better SZ and Hunter might be the most underrated of the group. We need at least two guys out of the four to be above average players. This is the class Tony finally made an impact and will keep doing so.
Obviously it took some time for the staff to get a foot in the door in the very hectic confines of college basketball recruiting. To be honest we probably had more reaches than hits, but with his style of defense and the fact that Virginia just became a player a few years ago you're going to have that, but we have arrived and not only do the players know it, but moms and dads do too and we know how important mom is to our recruiting.
