# 1996 Top Recruits Revisited



## JuniorNoboa

Just found a bunch of old Sporting News College yearbooks. I always like looking at the top recruits and seeing how they actually played out.

Here are the top 20 freshman prospects for 1995-1996:
1. Kevin Garnett
2. Ron Mercer
3. Stephon Marbury
4. Robert Traylor
5. Shareef Abdur Rahim
6. Vince Carter
7. Paul Pierce

(A VERY SOLID TOP 7)

The next bunch is not so impressive

8. Derek Hood
9. Albert White
10. Louis Bullock
11. Randell Jackson
12. Wayne Turner
13. Sam Okey
14. Terrance Roberson
15. B.J Mckie
16. Ryan Blackwell
17. Taymon Domzalski ( :laugh: Followed in the fine line of Greg Newton and Joey Beard, top frontcourt players in the mid 90-s who Coach K busted) 

------ Wow what a difference from the top 7 - seems like the scouts did a good job identifying the great ones from this class.
18. Chauncey Billups
19. Antawn Jamison 
20. Kenny Thomas

Other top 50 players that were NBA first rounders - Tim James 25, Vonteego Cummings 32, Courtney Alexander 34. That is it. 


As for the top seniors in that year. Here are the top 20 (consolidated 5 recruiting services):

1. Kobe Bryant
2. Tim Thomas
3. Lester Earl (Injuries ????, Headcase ????)
4. Jermaine O'Neal
5. Ronnie Fields (sad story)
6. Mike Bibby
7. Mateen Cleaves
8. Corey Benjamin
9. Winfred Walton (cheater - went to play for Tark)
10. Shaheen Holloway
11. Charles Hathaway
12. Jason Collier
13. Mike Robinson
14. Lucas Barnes
15. Stephen Jackson
16. Jermaine Walker (Where did he play???)
17. Vassil Evtimov
18. Gerald Brown (Where did he play????)
19. Glendon Alexander
20. Willie Dersch

Other top 100 players that ultimately went in first round

#36 - Richard Hamilton (like most UConn studs like Allen, Marshall, Gordon, Okafor, they were not top 20 players. Maybe Marshall??)

#42. Derrick (Etan) Thomas

#58. Desmond Mason

#76. Kenyon Martin  

Honourable Mentio: Shawn Marion


The Top High School Juniors

1. Shane Battier
2. Chris Burgess :laugh: (I get so much pleasure from Duke Busts)
3. Schea Cotton (too bad this guy peaked as a player in junior high)
4. Lamar Odom
5. Edmund Saunders 
6. Anthony Perry
7. Alvin Jones
8. Khalid El-Amin
9. Kenny Brunner (nut - went on to play for Tark)
10. William Avery
11. Jamaal Davis (who????)
12. Esteban Weaver (who???)
13. Luke Recker
14. Melvin Ely
15. Ronnie Griffin (????)
16. Jarron Collins
17. Terrance Morris
18. Tony Harris
19. Sergio McClain
20. Elton Tyler

Wow, shows you can't overhype top juniors too much.

Top High School Sophomores (Isn't there something wrong with ranking 14/15 year olds) Anyway .....


1. Jaron Rush
2. Ronald Curry (Have to respect a guy who became the most overrated recruit in two sports ... truly a two sport superflop_
3. Jason Capel (UNC Had such low returns from these two)
4. Korleone Young (Where is he now .... Did he ever see any floor time in the NBA after going in as a HS'er)
5. Corey Maggette (Finally a decent player)
6. Jason Thomas (Is this the guy who played QB for UNLV ???)
7. Earnest Brown ????
8. Tony Kitchings
9. Micheal Wright
10. Travis Robinson ????



Let me know if you enjoyed the post - I can do a few more throughout the next couple of weeks


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## HKF

> Originally posted by <b>JuniorNoboa</b>!
> Just found a bunch of old Sporting News College yearbooks. I always like looking at the top recruits and seeing how they actually played out.
> 
> Here are the top 20 freshman prospects for 1995-1996:
> 1. Kevin Garnett
> 2. Ron Mercer
> 3. Stephon Marbury
> 4. Robert Traylor
> 5. Shareef Abdur Rahim
> 6. Vince Carter
> 7. Paul Pierce
> 
> (A VERY SOLID TOP 7)
> 
> The next bunch is not so impressive
> 
> 8. Derek Hood
> 9. Albert White
> 10. Louis Bullock
> 11. Randell Jackson
> 12. Wayne Turner
> 13. Sam Okey
> 14. Terrance Roberson
> 15. B.J Mckie
> 16. Ryan Blackwell
> 17. Taymon Domzalski ( :laugh: Followed in the fine line of Greg Newton and Joey Beard, top frontcourt players in the mid 90-s who Coach K busted)
> 
> ------ Wow what a difference from the top 7 - seems like the scouts did a good job identifying the great ones from this class.
> 18. Chauncey Billups
> 19. Antawn Jamison
> 20. Kenny Thomas
> 
> Other top 50 players that were NBA first rounders - Tim James 25, Vonteego Cummings 32, Courtney Alexander 34. That is it.
> 
> 
> As for the top seniors in that year. Here are the top 20 (consolidated 5 recruiting services):
> 
> 1. Kobe Bryant
> 2. Tim Thomas
> 3. Lester Earl (Injuries ????, Headcase ????)
> 4. Jermaine O'Neal
> 5. Ronnie Fields (sad story)
> 6. Mike Bibby
> 7. Mateen Cleaves
> 8. Corey Benjamin
> 9. Winfred Walton (cheater - went to play for Tark)
> 10. Shaheen Holloway
> 11. Charles Hathaway
> 12. Jason Collier
> 13. Mike Robinson
> 14. Lucas Barnes
> 15. Stephen Jackson
> 16. Jermaine Walker (Where did he play???)
> 17. Vassil Evtimov
> 18. Gerald Brown (Where did he play????)
> 19. Glendon Alexander
> 20. Willie Dersch
> 
> Other top 100 players that ultimately went in first round
> 
> #36 - Richard Hamilton (like most UConn studs like Allen, Marshall, Gordon, Okafor, they were not top 20 players. Maybe Marshall??)
> 
> #42. Derrick (Etan) Thomas
> 
> #58. Desmond Mason
> 
> #76. Kenyon Martin
> 
> Honourable Mentio: Shawn Marion
> 
> 
> The Top High School Juniors
> 
> 1. Shane Battier
> 2. Chris Burgess :laugh: (I get so much pleasure from Duke Busts)
> 3. Schea Cotton (too bad this guy peaked as a player in junior high)
> 4. Lamar Odom
> 5. Edmund Saunders
> 6. Anthony Perry
> 7. Alvin Jones
> 8. Khalid El-Amin
> 9. Kenny Brunner (nut - went on to play for Tark)
> 10. William Avery
> 11. Jamaal Davis (who????)
> 12. Esteban Weaver (who???)
> 13. Luke Recker
> 14. Melvin Ely
> 15. Ronnie Griffin (????)
> 16. Jarron Collins
> 17. Terrance Morris
> 18. Tony Harris
> 19. Sergio McClain
> 20. Elton Tyler
> 
> Wow, shows you can't overhype top juniors too much.
> 
> Top High School Sophomores (Isn't there something wrong with ranking 14/15 year olds) Anyway .....
> 
> 
> 1. Jaron Rush
> 2. Ronald Curry (Have to respect a guy who became the most overrated recruit in two sports ... truly a two sport superflop_
> 3. Jason Capel (UNC Had such low returns from these two)
> 4. Korleone Young (Where is he now .... Did he ever see any floor time in the NBA after going in as a HS'er)
> 5. Corey Maggette (Finally a decent player)
> 6. Jason Thomas (Is this the guy who played QB for UNLV ???)
> 7. Earnest Brown ????
> 8. Tony Kitchings
> 9. Micheal Wright
> 10. Travis Robinson ????
> 
> 
> 
> Let me know if you enjoyed the post - I can do a few more throughout the next couple of weeks


Kobe's class was one of the most overhyped classes I can remember. Willie Dersch was a bum and he was a Mickey D. I remember him because he went to HS a couple of blocks away from me at Holy Cross. 

Travis Robinson went to Jacksonville and finished his career there, but he played for Fresno State first. I know you see the theme of problems.

Earnest Brown played at St. Raymond's and he went to Indian Hills CC in Iowa, but like Corey Hightower, turned pro instead of finishing up at a 4-year college. He is NBDL and CBA bouncing now.

Jason Thomas was the former UNLV QB. He played HS BB with Tayshaun Prince. He was very good in HS but chose football. He could have been pro 2G. 

Tony Kitchings went to South Carolina and was a marginal player at best for 4 years. 

Ronnie Griffin went to JUCO and then to Iowa, but got kicked off the team for violation of team rules.

Jamaal Davis went all over the place and then finally got Cincinnati where he didn't graduate from. But he exhausted his eligibility there.

Those are just off the top of my head. I can't remember where Weaver went, and Gerald Brown played for Pepperdine, it just came back to me. 

Schea Cotton and Chris Burgess both peaked as HS juniors. They never got better, which happens quite a bit in HS basketball.


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## Natty Dreadlockz

Good post Junior.... 8 through 20 produced some well above average college baller's for their respective school's though... Jus my opinon... How bout 96-97?... Peace


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## MJG

Great post :greatjob: Very interesting read.


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## Brian34Cook

Excellent Read


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## KJay

good post. I remember when Earl made it to KAnsas, his legs were shot, and I think that alot of people (I don't konw exactly) say that he was a real nut


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## IAMGREAT

El-Amin is the greatest.


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## freakofnature

This shows how important college coaching is for a players development.


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## kansasalumn

Lester Earl was a good person, I played against him in basketball while we were school there.......Playstation basketball. He had some troubles at Kansas. The only one that really was not a Roy Williams type player. 

Funny to see Jaron Rush there. What a shame?


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## KJay

> Originally posted by <b>kansasalumn</b>!
> Lester Earl was a good person, I played against him in basketball while we were school there.......Playstation basketball. He had some troubles at Kansas. The only one that really was not a Roy Williams type player.
> 
> Funny to see Jaron Rush there. What a shame?


well I know one of his former flings, and she says that for the most part he was a really good but missunderstood guy.


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## Zach

Our schools pg is Jason and Jeff capels cousin. hes a dII football recruit tho.


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## Priest

gerald brown went to texas a and m and must of had the worst career of any AA...lester earl had too many knee problems its sad cause he could of been good..i met all of them in pittsburgh at the all american game banquet and the game


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## mateer

*bust?*

Curry's greatest asset was his Iverson like quickness. Still you tear your achilles and you pretty much lose that. I never know whether I should consider that a bust or a "shame." His horrenduous shooting makes me think bust, but if he kept his incredible quicks he'd have better looks and maybe a higher shooting percentage. As a QB same thing. He'd probably have more passing options if he had been able to Vick out some extra time as his pockets collapsed. I don't know though, he was so hyped. Although, he is in the NFL.


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## HKF

*Re: bust?*



> Originally posted by <b>mateer</b>!
> Curry's greatest asset was his Iverson like quickness. Still you tear your achilles and you pretty much lose that. I never know whether I should consider that a bust or a "shame." His horrenduous shooting makes me think bust, but if he kept his incredible quicks he'd have better looks and maybe a higher shooting percentage. As a QB same thing. He'd probably have more passing options if he had been able to Vick out some extra time as his pockets collapsed. I don't know though, he was so hyped. Although, he is in the NFL.


Strange because he won the Mickey D 3 point shootout. He should have concentrated on one sport. However I still don't think he was a pro PG at the starter level. Without his athleticism he didn't show many basic skills as a PG to be a star. He might have been Charlie Ward at best.


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## KJay

yeah he was a big bust, but maybe too much was expected out of him


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## Pumpkin_Escobar

I may be wrong but wasn't Randy Moss and Jason Williams ranked pretty high coming out of HS..


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## Priest

> Originally posted by <b>IAMGREAT</b>!
> El-Amin is the greatest.


what is wrong with El-Amin? He did his thing in college and he did pretty good in the nbam he just didnt get his fair share


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## WhoDaBest23

Wow I juss saw this thread. Very interesting read. :greatjob:


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## JuniorNoboa

I'll try to do another one over the holidays from the early 90's.


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## The Truth

> 17. Taymon Domzalski ( :laugh: Followed in the fine line of Greg Newton and Joey Beard, top frontcourt players in the mid 90-s who Coach K busted)


So are you saying those guys had NBA potential?


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## Scott

I believe Jamaal Davis was a Purdue recruit. He had acedemic problems and ended up playing for Cincinnatti for a season.


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## HKF

> Originally posted by <b>Scott</b>!
> I believe Jamaal Davis was a Purdue recruit. He had acedemic problems and ended up playing for Cincinnatti for a season.


Yes that is the same Jamaal Davis. He was said to be the best player out of Gary since Shawn Kemp. Yeah that was right.


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