Top 5 recruiting classes so far in 2023
School is in session across the country at colleges and universities. We are already looking ahead to Midnight Madness and those amazing winter nights of college hoops.
The recruiting season, however, never sleeps.
1. Duke
When Jon Scheyer was named the replacement coach of Mike Krzyzewski, the questions came right away. Will he be able to recruit at the level Duke is used to recruiting at?
Um, yes. He will.
The Blue Devils currently sit at the top of the class of 2023 team rankings. Duke has four pledges in the class and each of the prospects sit inside our top 24 player rankings. What a haul already. And the majority of these players pledged quite early, giving Duke a foundation to build on in classes even further down the line.
Sitting at the top of the class for Duke is Mackenzie Mgbako, who is our current No. 1 player in the class of 2023 nationally. The do-everything wing has prototypical size for the NBA, a skill set that can be used all over the floor and the talent coming to Durham with him only buoys him up even more.
At the moment, Jared McCain and Caleb Foster make up the incoming backcourt for the class. Both guys have some takeover capabilities.
Floridian Sean Stewart comes in at No. 24 and he has the type of ceiling that could improve quite a bit more.
2. Kentucky
Another year, another class worthy of inclusion for the top overall spot consideration
North Carolina native Robert Dillingham checks in at No. 7 overall on our 2023 national rankings and is one of the most exciting players in prep basketball. We know electric guards thrive in John Calipari’s system. He has star potential for his time in Lexington.
Coming in at No. 9 overall is wing Justin Edwards out of Philadelphia. Truth be told, we may have the 6-foot-7 prospect ranked a little too low. Expectations are high and opportunities will certainly be there for him to come in and make a big impact from day one.
Rounding out the class is No. 38 Reed Sheppard, a guard who is important and valuable as a long-term player in the team’s rotation.
3. Michigan State
The Spartans were constants on the sidelines and baselines at our NCAA Live Period events and their strategy paid off in a big way.
Half of their commitments hail from the independent circuit with NY2LA. Xavier Booker, the No. 4 overall player in the country, is the crown jewel of the class and a guy who should thrive in the style of play that Tom Izzo is looking to employ. Izzo could really take Booker’s game to the moon and develop him into a real headache maker for the Big Ten.
Texan Gehrig Normand has played opposite of Booker for years on the travel circuit. Now they will pair together. The bouncy guard should be a fan favorite in East Lansing. He and top 35 overall prospect Jeremy Fears should be a fun tandem to watch come together.
Rounding out the class is Georgia native Coen Carr. He checks in at No. 63 overall. We’ve seen high-flying and aggressive wings play well in this system in years past. Brandon Dawson’s game comes to mind when watching Carr.
4. Oregon
The Ducks are always going to be a player with the elite, given Nike’s relationship to the school. But don’t discount good regional recruiting. Two-thirds of this class is homegrown.
Mookie Cook, a product of Portland’s Jefferson HS community before he transferred to AZ Compass Prep, is the prize jewel of the class. He’s the best in-state prospect since the Kevin Love and Kyle Singler era 15 years ago.
Fellow Oregonian Jackson Shelstad comes in at No. 69. He hails from West Linn, the same program that produced Oregon legend Payton Pritchard. The state of Oregon doesn’t produce a lot of Division I talent. When the high-major ones come around, the Ducks don’t let them fly away very often.
Rounding out the group is No. 20 Kwame Evans. The 6-foot-9 forward from Baltimore via Montverde Academy is a promising prospect who could blossom in college. He’s much more potential than he is player at this stage of the game.
5. Iowa State
No, seriously. The Cyclones are making a major push in recruiting circles. This class is a historic one for the school.
In-state stud Omaha Billew is the highest-rated player to commit to the Cyclones since Craig Brackins in 2007. Biliew, a non-stop motorman, is currently rated No. 10 overall in our 2023 national rankings. Big expectations certainly come with him.
But he won’t carry that alone. Milan Momcilovic is one of the best prsoecpts to come to Ames out of high school in the last decade. The versatile wing forward comes in at No. 50 overall in the class.
Georgia guard Jelani Hamilton is a top 100 prospect with great size and scoring touch from the wing.
As of August 29, 2022 are the five best incoming high school prospect classes in the country. The list could change as more players make their decisions. But right now they stand above the rest for the class of 2023.
