This is the sixth installment of our Top Recruit Series, which will outline the recruiting history since 2000 for each of the seven power conferences. Here, we examine the Big Ten.
Conference realignment has totally shaken up the landscape for recruiting in the ACC. As recruiting, in general, has become less regional and more national over the years it's tougher to find common themes between conference competitors. Everyone, regardless of the league, is flying all over the country to pitch their program to the best available players.
Trying to find common themes in ACC recruiting since 2000 means tracking trends through the addition of seven new programs (Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville) and the loss of a charter member (Maryland). But even through this haze of backdoor deals and conference swaps there are two very obvious themes in the ACC on the trail.
1. Duke and North Carolina run recruiting, having combined for 18 of the top 25 ACC recruits since 2000, and they pump out more NBA talent than anyone in the league.
2. Conference expansion hasn't been great for everyone.
The most recent additions of Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville has strengthened the overall profile of the conference, added Hall-of-Fame coaches to the league's lineup and recently resulted in a record six teams making the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. "The best basketball conference ever" is alive and well on the court, providing must-see matchups every week between the game's best coaches and players.
But what some league members might gain from that heightened exposure comes at a cost of potential success, and in some cases a downturn in recruiting. Some of the highest-rated recruits at Boston College, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest all signed before the second wave of expansion and all three of those schools have combined for zero NCAA Tournament appearances since 2010.
That's the downside of making a league bigger and even better at the top. Teams in the middle of the pack in terms of on-court and recruiting success are now pushed below the fold, making a big breakthrough season -- one that could boost a team's stock on the recruiting trail -- even more difficult.
The ACC is the best basketball conference in the land, but it's also the one with the least mobility in terms of moving up in the pecking order. As long as the league boasts sitting Hall of Famers on the sideline, it's hard to see that changing.
Below we have listed our top 25 recruits since 2000 -- which we compiled using every major recruiting service's database as a point of reference -- for current ACC programs. In terms of our top 25 list, college performance was not taken into account. It's all about the recruit rank and hype. And even though Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams played their college ball in the Big East, conference realignment groups them here with the impressive hauls from Duke and UNC.
Below our top 25, you'll see we've listed overachievers and underachievers. For that, we did take into account how players actually performed, relative to their recruit status, at the college level.
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POS | YEAR | RATING |
| 1. Harrison Barnes | North Carolina | SF | 2010 (1) | |
| 2. Derrick Favors | Georgia Tech | C | 2009 (1) | |
| 3. Mike Scott | Virginia | PF | 2007 (1) | |
| 4. Carmelo Anthony | Syracuse | SF | 2002 (2) | |
| 5. Josh McRoberts | Duke | PF | 2005 (2) | |
| 6. Harry Giles | Duke | PF | 2016 (2) | |
| 7. Luol Deng | Duke | SF | 2003 (2) | |
| 8. Jahlil Okafor | Duke | C | 2014 (1) | |
| 9. Austin Rivers | Duke | PG | 2011 (2) | |
| 10. Kyrie Irving | Duke | PG | 2010 (2) | |
| 11. Brandan Wright | North Carolina | PF | 2006 (3) | |
| 12. Brandon Ingram | Duke | SF | 2015 (4) | |
| 13. Jabari Parker | Duke | SF | 2013 (4) | |
| 14. Jayson Tatum | Duke | SF | 2016 (4) | |
| 15. Samardo Samuels | Louisville | C | 2008 (4) | |
| 16. John Henson | North Carolina | PF | 2009 (5) | |
| 17. Steven Adams | Pittsburgh | C | 2012 (5) | |
| 18. James Michael McAdoo | North Carolina | PF | 2011 (5) | |
| 19. Taddeus Young | Georgia Tech | SF | 2006 (5) | |
| 20. Kyle Singler | Duke | SF | 2007 (7) | |
| 21. Ty Lawson | North Carolina | PG | 2006 (7) | |
| 22. Tyus Jones | Duke | PG | 2014 (7) | |
| 23. Dennis Smith | NC State | PG | 2016 (7) | |
| 24. Wayne Ellington | North Carolina | SG | 2006 (9) | |
| 25. Tyler Hansbrough | North Carolina | PF | 2005 (8) | |
FIVE OVERACHIEVERS
- Joe Harris, Virginia: Tony Bennett's familiarity at his previous stop contributed to identifying the potential in this three-star prospect from Chelan, Washington.
- Jerian Grant, Notre Dame: Grant became a college star and future NBA player at Notre Dame after being a three-star prospect at Mike Brey's old stomping grounds, DeMatha Catholic.
- Will Bynum, Georgia Tech: Undersized guards don't often get high recruiting rankings, but Bynum's two-star rating did not suggest expectations that he'd be among the Georgia Tech vets with the most NBA experience.
- Russ Smith, Louisville: Rick Pitino continues to cite Russ Smith in interviews when asked about recruiting practices, noting that Smith was an underrecruited three-star prospect. So in case you forgot, national champion Russ Smith was a three-star prospect.
- Lamar Patterson, Pitt: Patterson was just a three-star, in-state prospect at Pitt before becoming the All-ACC forward that got selected in the 2014 NBA Draft.
FIVE UNDERACHIEVERS
- Derrick Caracter: Packed with potential, the common trend throughout Caracter's career has been changing locations. He switched high schools a couple times, transferred out of Louisville to go to UTEP and has played all over the world since getting drafted by the Lakers in 2010.
- Paul Harris: A high school All-American in 2006 and member of the Team USA development program, Harris earned all-conference honors at Syracuse but went undrafted after his college career.
- Rodney Purvis: The former five-star prospect fell out of favor at NC State and chose to finish his college career at UConn, where he was a valuable contributor but rarely the star for Kevin Ollie's Huskies.
- Gani Lawal: Lawal was a five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American but only notched a pair of All-ACC third team honors during his time at Georgia Tech. A skilled shot blocker and big man, Lawal has found the most success in Italy, Greece and the NBA Development League since turning pro in 2010.
- Lewis Clinch: Another five-star signee for Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech, Clinch had academic issues and injury-related setbacks during his time with the Yellow Jackets. The explosive guard from Cordele, Ga. was able to add his name to the school record books when things were going well (particularly from behind the arc) but ultimately fell short of those high school projections.
Going a little deeper, here are the top three recruits since 200 for each ACC school, followed by what to make of it all.
- Reggie Jackson
- Ryan Anderson
- Sean Williams
Comment: Sean Williams was the anchor down low for a few of those Boston College teams that wrecked the ACC in the 2000s, but since then the stars have been hard to find in Chestnut Hill, with Reggie Jackson the most recognizable Boston College alum at the next level. The drop off in top recruits since then lines up with Boston College's struggles in the ACC as Jim Christian continues the turnaround project with a young core in 2015-16.
- Milton Jennings
- Devin Booker
- Donte Grantham
Comment: Brad Browned hasn't gotten back to the NCAA tournament since his first year with the Tigers, so many are confused why the school has enough confidence to continue re-investing in his tenure. Look no further than the recruiting trail, where Brownell has made the Tigers a player for more blue chips than Clemson has seen in a long time.
- Josh McRoberts
- Harry Giles
- Kyrie Irving
Comment: It comes as a surprise to no one that Duke is all over the list of top ACC recruits since 2000. Here we've decided to isolate a few of the top prospects for different reasons. Josh McRoberts' career in Durham never resonated like other players on the list, but those projections have looked better and better with the longevity of his career in the NBA. Kyrie Irving makes the list as his star has never been higher in the basketball world and Harry Giles, now set to miss the start of the 2016-17 after another knee procedure, represents the next in a line of instant-impact stars coming through Coach K's door.
- Jonathan Isaac
- Dwayne Bacon
- Chris Singleton
Comment: Leonard Hamilton doesn't have the built-in advantages of a Duke or North Carolina but has developed a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the ACC. Jonathan Isaac and Dwayne Bacon are some of the top prospects in the league since 2000 and they'll both be on the court for the Seminoles this season. That should be as much of a reason as any to buy stock in FSU now.
- Derrick Favors
- Thaddeus Young
- Iman Shumpert
Comment: Most of Georgia Tech's top recruits since 2000 are all pre-ACC expansion, as the league's growth has not been kind to the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech hasn't finished better than sixth in the conference standings since 2005 or better than 11th since the addition of Syracuse and Pittsburgh in 2013. Josh Pastner will sell Atlanta and the school's advantages as much as possible, but right now there are tiers in the league's recruiting wars and Georgia Tech's far from the top. Oh, shout out Chris Bosh.
- Samardo Samuels
- Amir Johnson:
- Chase Behanan
Comment: Samardo Samuels had a great impact on the Cardinals, so while that five-star, top-rated ranking hasn't played out in the pros he doesn't get the "underachiever" tag listed above.
- DeQuan Jones
- Ja'Quan Newton
- Durand Scott
Comment: Frank Haith's NCAA-related issues aside, Miami has been able to boost recruiting since joining the ACC. Ja'Quan Newton has only broached his potential -- look for him to end up as an All-ACC pick in 2017.
- Dennis Smith
- C.J. Leslie
- T.J. Warren
Comment: Dennis Smith has all of the tools to be one of the best guards in the league, and NC State fans are hoping that's the case given the recent trends with local recruits. C.J. Leslie (Word of God) stayed longer than Rodney Purvis (Upper Room Academy) and was the best player on back-to-back NCAA tournament teams, but fans are hoping for a level of consistency and ACC title contention with Smith, one of the most highly-anticipated recruits in program history.
- Harrison Barnes
- James Michael McAdoo
- Tyler Hansbrough
Comment: Like Duke, North Carolina gets to gloat a little when it comes to ranking all of the recruits in the ACC since 2000. Roy Williams arrival in 2003 changed the game for North Carolina's recruiting and on-court success, as the Hall of Famer's relentless efforts to secure the right pieces (no matter the region) resulted in the 2009 national championship. Some of the teams since 2009 have been arguably more talented, but couldn't get back to the Final Four -- a drought that ended in 2016.
- Demetrius Jackson
- Luke Harangody
- Pat Connaughton
Comment: All Mike Brey everything. Notre Dame basketball doesn't pull a ton blue chippers but he's awfully dangerous with the right combination of three and four-star players. The delayed emergence of Demetrius Jackson, the highest-rated Irish recruit since 2000, as a college star shouldn't be a penalty, but instead of a sign of program that is committed to its process.
- Steven Adams
- DeJuan Blair
- James Robinson
Comment: Adams and Blair each had their moment in another era of Pitt basketball, while James Robinson will go down as one of the more underrated guards in recent ACC history. The four-year starting guard is one of only three players in school history to compile 1,000 points, 600 assists, 400 rebounds, and 150 steals in a career.
- Paul Harris
- Carmelo Anthony
- Dion Waiters
Comment: Malachi Richardson is the most notable Syracuse prospect of the ACC vintage, but Melo brought the national title.
- Mike Scott
- Justin Anderson
- Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome
Comment: Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome are mentioned together as they're inclusion as some of the top-rated prospects signed by Virginia since 2000 indicates good signs for the Wahoos moving forward. Making Virginia a regular recruiting power changes the math on how to be successful in Charlottesville.
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Malcolm Delaney
- Chris Clarke
Comment: Still waiting for a healthy Chris Clarke to jump out of the building and into the national consciousness.
- Chris Paul
- Al-Farouq Aminu
- Jeff Teague
Comment: Wake Forest's impressive haul of future NBA players since 2000 lacks a recent addition. Danny Manning has brought in solid talent in recent cycles like Bryant Crawford (a player who could definitely end up in the league) but the Demon Deacons are still looking to repeat that success in this decade of the 2000s.