Arizona has another top-10 recruiting class, but this one is different

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Sean Miller somehow did it again.

247Sports recently updated its recruiting rankings and the Arizona Wildcats’ 2020 class is ranked No. 7 in the country, marking the sixth time in the last seven years that UA has hauled in a top-10 class.

The lone exception came in 2018 when Arizona had the No. 22 class after it lost commitments from 5-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly and 4-star forward Shareef O’Neal (and probably a couple of other recruits) in the aftermath of the FBI investigation into college basketball corruption.

Arizona’s 2020 class was previously ranked in the high teens but got a boost when some of its international prospects received a ranking for the first time.

247Sports ranks Estonian point guard Kerr Kriisa as the No. 63 player in the class, French post Daniel Batcho at 95, and Turkish small forward Tibet Gorener at 178. All three committed to Arizona in April as Miller swiftly bolstered what had been a pretty average class to that point.

Stanford (15), which landed 5-star forward and former UA target Ziaire Williams, is the only other Pac-12 program in the top 20. Arizona State and Oregon’s recruits have a higher average ranking than Arizona’s, but they only have two and one commit, respectively.

Four-star wing Dalen Terry is Arizona’s highest-ranked commit, checking in at No. 49 overall. Canadian forward Bennedict Mathurin is No. 110 overall, just below Batcho. All five UA recruits have signed their letters of intent, though Miller has only publicly commented on Terry, whose versatility makes him “unique.”

Of course, we cannot forget the additions Arizona made via the transfer portal, and ESPN recently gave Arizona’s high marks. Former Seattle U guard Terrell Brown is the No. 6 grad transfer in the country and former Georgetown point guard James Akinjo is the No. 1 midyear transfer in the nation, per ESPN.

Former Nevada forward Jordan Brown was ranked as the No. 6 sit-out transfer who will be eligible in 2020-21.

The Wildcats may not be done adding to their roster either, as they still have one more scholarship to play with.

With so much new talent on the way in, the question will continue to be if Miller and company can piece it together.

While Arizona’s recruiting has been consistently strong over the past several years, it has not resulted in much success in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have only won two NCAA Tournament games since the end of the 2014-15 season, both coming in 2016-17.

Part of those struggles can be attributed to the perpetual roster turnover caused when some of its highly-ranked prospects have left for the NBA after one season, the downside of recruiting at such a high level.

However, the 2020 class is unique. Not just because it is loaded with international talent and offers some new skill sets, but also because it does not feature one player who is projected to be a one-and-done, a sign that Miller’s recruiting strategy has changed even though this class ranks similarly to those in the past.

A stat that highlights that: Terry is Arizona’s lowest-ranked top recruit since Daniel Bejarano headlined the 2010 class. He was the No. 73 player in the country.

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