ACC Basketball: Breaking down the 2017 Recruiting Classes

By Bryan Mauro | Aug 17, 2017

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 04: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates as he cuts down the net after defeating the Duke Blue Devils 90-83 to clinch the ACC regular season title at the Dean Smith Center on March 4, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

3 of 7

Josh Pastner was nothing short of a miracle worker his first season in Atlanta. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

In head coach Josh Pastner’s first year with the Yellow Jackets, things were not expected to go well. In fact, some people believed that he had the worst Power 5 roster in the country. What did he do, though? Georgia Tech turned in a winning season and a berth in the NIT. Georgia Tech was on the cusp of a NCAA tournament bid last year and looks to get back there this year. It has been a long for the Ramblin’ Wreck.

Jose Alvarado: One thing that Coach Pastner has always been good at is recruiting. It shows here with Alvarado, who excelled with the NY Rens AAU team. The New York native is a pass-first point guard, who plays the game with a certain swagger and attitude. It is the New York basketball mentality. New York churns out hard-nosed tough kids who play the game the right way.

Louisville Cardinals

The Louisville Cardinals have always been a program that a lot of universities strive to be on the court. They play smothering defense and run a nice form of the high-low offense in which the really rely on their guards and their center to score points for them. Amid all the allegations brought on the program recently, they have just kept churning out winner after winner.

Malik Williams: At 6’10”, Williams may be the tallest wing player in the entire ACC. He can shoot, handle the ball a little, and really protects the rim underneath on the defensive end of the floor. The one issue that Williams may encounter in college is that he may be asked to play inside due to his size. He doesn’t really seem all that comfortable playing inside and has expressed his desire to play on the perimeter.