Ranking the freshman seasons of former number one high school recruits

SYRACUSE, NY - FEBRUARY 23: Former Syracuse Orange player Carmelo Anthony (C) receives his jersey from athletic director Daryl Gross (L) as his number is retired during a ceremony at half time during the game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Carrier Dome on February 23, 2013 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Nate Shron/Getty Images) /

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Rudy Gay (Photo by Ned Dishman/Getty Images) /

Ranking the freshman seasons of former number one high school recruits: 20. Rudy Gay

Freshman stats: 11.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.5 apg

The 2004 high school class was a pretty interesting one. The consensus best players were Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Shaun Livingston, and Josh Smith. While they all appeared to be on their way to having terrific college basketball careers, they all opted to skip that step and head straight to the pros.

So, with many of the top names bypassing the college ranks, were left with Rudy Gay, the next highest-ranked high school baller who went the conventional route.

Gay was a McDonald’s All-American with averages of 21.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks. He looked like your prototypical college wing player. Gay stood at 6’9’’ and weighed approximately 220 pounds. Despite his physical dimensions and high flying game, Gay struggled during his time as a UConn Husky. Gay averaged just 11.8 points per game for a 23-8 team. Not only did they struggle to find consistency during the regular season but they flamed out early in the NCAA Tournament, falling to North Carolina State in the second round.

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