Recruiting is a vital part of building a strong NCAA basketball program. Which freshmen ranked outside of the top-50 could be stars right away?
Recruiting is the most important part of building a strong NCAA basketball program. For coaches around the country, landing top-rated high school talents is almost always near the top of the priority list as they hope to build an elite talent pool to use in competition. Transfers have increased in prevalence as of late but adding freshmen is still the most common route for growing a program. Of course, several programs are better than others with regards to securing these elite commitments, but every prospect has the potential to make an impact at their respective school.
Because one player can make a major difference in a basketball game, landing a “diamond in the rough” can take an average team to the next level with regards to successes on the court. This is evident at all levels of college basketball from the ACC to the MEAC. There are always surprises from each recruiting class with regards to both “booms” and “busts” as it is impossible to predict with 100% accuracy which players will succeed at the college level.
This article will take a look at 25 incoming freshmen (from the 2019 class) that could be poised for strong initial seasons at the college level. These players are all ranked outside of the nation’s top-50 and are likely heading to situations that will allow them to find immediate playing time. There are certainly plenty of high-major players on this list but there are also some recruits that could immediately emerge as stars at the mid-major level as well.
Now, without any further ado, let’s dive into analyzing some of my favorite incoming freshmen as potential “hidden stars” from this recruiting class. (All recruiting rankings were found via 247Sports Composite unless otherwise notes.)