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NCAA Basketball: Top 25 impact freshmen classes for 2022-23 season

By Tristan Freeman

Montverde Academy's Dariq Whitehead (0) reacts after forcing a turnover during the second half of the GEICO Nationals quarterfinal between AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) and Montverde Academy (Fla.), Thursday, March 31, 2022, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.Montverde Academy defeated AZ Compass Prep 72-63.GEICO Nationals 2022: AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) vs. Montverde Academy (Fla.), March 31, 2022
Montverde Academy's Dariq Whitehead (0) reacts after forcing a turnover during the second half of the GEICO Nationals quarterfinal between AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) and Montverde Academy (Fla.), Thursday, March 31, 2022, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.Montverde Academy defeated AZ Compass Prep 72-63.GEICO Nationals 2022: AZ Compass Prep (Ariz.) vs. Montverde Academy (Fla.), March 31, 2022 /
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NCAA Basketball
NCAA Basketball Pittsburgh Panthers (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

With five-star NCAA Basketball prospect GG Jackson making his decision to play for South Carolina next season and joining the 2022 recruiting class, that all but wraps up the set of incoming impact freshmen for 2022-23. So the question is which teams did the best overall?

For this piece, I’ll be looking at programs that not only landed some great talent but also is likely to play them next season. It’ll be about the groups of “impact freshmen” that could be the difference between a team making the NCAA Tournament and not, as well as who can make a deep run in March or not.

Recruiting rankings that are used throughout this piece are from 247sports. Here are my top 25 impact true freshmen classes for next season.

25. Pittsburgh Panthers

Interestingly, enough, the Panthers didn’t have a single commit in the 2022 NCAA Basketball class, as they were focused on landing transfers this offseason. But with nine openings, the team was able to find a trio of prospects, including lucking up on one at the end in Dior Johnson.

At one time, Johnson was a top-10 overall prospect in the class. But the point guard, who had already committed to both Oregon and Syracuse and 10 other high schools in the past couple of years, had seen his stock drop. Yet the talent is still there, even if he’s now ranked inside the top 40. That’s the highest-ranked point guard in program history and he’s slated to start next to Colgate transfer Nelly Cummings in the backcourt, which would be a massive upgrade from last season.

Pittsburgh also got a pair of Spanish twin big men in Guillermo Diaz-Graham, a 7’0 center, and post-scorer, and Jorge Diaz-Graham, a 6’11 stretch forward. The Panthers, who had little frontcourt depth last season outside of John Hugley and Mo Gueye, now have promising frontcourt players with size and who can spread the floor. They have long-term potential but certainly will have spots in the team’s rotation for next season.

If Johnson has the potential of a five-star prospect, the Panthers could have a big turnaround this upcoming season and compete for a postseason tournament.

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