Five-star tracker: Nine college juniors remain
In college basketball’s junior class, there are currently nine players left -- eight from the class of 2013 and one from 2012 -- who arrived at their schools as five-star prospects. Have they performed as advertised or fallen short of expectations? We take a look at them here.
RELATED: Current five-star seniors
Kasey Hill, PG, Florida (No. 10 in 2013)
This season: 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game
How he got here: Louisville and Kentucky made early pitches, but Hill was almost always considered a strong Florida lean. He committed in December of his junior season.
Analysis: For a while, Rivals.com ranked Hill much lower than the other services because we had concerns about how much of his game would really translate to college because of his reliance on open-floor athleticism. However, Hill won huge on every level pre-college and his body of work became too tough to ignore. In college, his lack of a jumper and facing others who can compete with him athletically has really limited him. Even if we had stuck to our guns and kept him in the 25-35 range as a four-star, Hill’s ranking would have ended up being too high.
Wayne Selden, SG, Kansas (No. 12 in 2013)
This season: 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
How he got here: Selden was originally going to do a year of prep school and be part of the 2014 class, but he settled in with his natural 2013 class. He picked Kansas from a final group that included Florida, Ohio State, UCLA, Missouri and Syracuse.
Analysis: Selden is another player that we were a bit slower to move to five-star status. While he was physically gifted, the concern was that his ability to overwhelm others with his strength masked his lack of a jumper. However, what sold us was his ability to handle the ball and pass at the high school level. As it turned out, he didn’t handle and pass as well in college as expected. Selden has averaged right around 30 minutes per game his entire Kansas career but was a surprisingly poor finisher his first two seasons. As a junior, it has all come together with him finishing well at the rim and shooting the cover off the ball from deep while looking like the five-star prospect he was in high school.
Isaac Hamilton, SG, UCLA (No. 14 in 2013)
This season: 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
How he got here: Hamilton initially signed with UTEP but then decided he wanted to stay closer to home. UTEP wouldn’t release him from his scholarship, so he lost his freshman year when he went to UCLA.
Analysis: A McDonald’s All-American, Hamilton is somebody that we saw as a skilled wing capable of manufacturing points. Thus, we ranked him higher than most others in the recruiting world. There have been some ups and downs at UCLA and he isn’t yet regarded by the NBA in a way that you might expect a former top 15 player to be, but Hamilton has turned into a very productive college player.
Kris Dunn, PG, Providence (No. 16 2012)
This season: 17.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game
How he got here: A total unknown until the spring of his junior year, Dunn was a signature recruit for Ed Cooley, who outdueled UConn for the talented point guard’s services.
Analysis: Though he was rough around the edges and turned the ball over at a high rate, Dunn’s athletic ability, instincts and size were enough for us to make him the top-rated point guard in his class. After battling injury issues early in his career, Dunn has been everything he was projected to be and more. He’s a legitimate All-American candidate, has helped to make Providence nationally relevant and is on track to be a high draft pick in June. If anything, he was ranked too low.
Isaiah Hicks, PF, North Carolina (No. 16 in 2013)
This season: 9.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game.
How he got here: A native of North Carolina, it was pretty obvious Hicks wanted to be a Tar Heel. He was offered a scholarship right before the beginning of his junior year of high school and committed the same day he was offered.
Analysis: With his size, athleticism and the ability to move with grace and rebound out of his area, Hicks looked like a safe bet. He was so quick off his feet around the rim and showed promise with his shot that we thought he might be ranked too low. For his first two years he’d shown flashes, but Hicks had been a bit frustrating because he seemed to lack some competitive fire. He has improved greatly his junior season -- his efficiency on offense is impressive -- and is in a unique situation with two other talented bigs in Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson on his team so he's not necessarily off track.
Keith Frazier, SG, North Texas (No. 18 in 2013)
This season: 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
How he got here: A Dallas native, Frazier’s recruitment ran into April of his senior year. He seriously considered Texas Tech and Texas A&M but Larry Brown was able to keep him home. He left SMU mid-season in 2015-16 for North Texas.
Analysis: With multiple state titles, great size for his position and a beautiful jumper, Frazier looked like a prototypical two-guard prospect. He looked so good against the other high-level prospects during McDonald’s All-American game workouts that we basically ignored his shaky ball-handling and concerns that off-the-court distractions could derail him. He has had his moments, but was often inconsistent prior to deciding to leave for North Texas and is somebody that was ranked too high.
Marcus Lee, PF, Kentucky (No. 19 in 2013)
This season: 7.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
How he got here: A late-bloomer who burst onto the scene after his junior season, Lee ended up choosing Kentucky over California.
Analysis: A big-time athlete who could rebound, run and block shots, Lee achieved his lofty status due to belief he would be a big-time player on the defensive end while his shot developed. He’s still lacking strength, but has played the most minutes of his career during his junior year -- 20.2 after 10.9 and 6.3 his firs two years. Offensively, Lee has yet to show an expanded game while flashing NBA-level athleticism. The jury is still out on this one.
Robert Hubbs, SG, Tennessee (No. 23 in 2013)
This season: 11.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
How he got here: Hubbs had many schools looking to lure him out of the state of Tennessee, but he only officially visited the Volunteers and committed almost immediately after the visit.
Analysis: Athletic and strong, Hubbs looked like a surefire college star. He got to the rim when he wanted to and he was a tough defender and rebounder. Those traits weighed more heavily in his favor than an inconsistent jumper and helped to cover up some lacking skill. Hubbs has become a solid junior but has struggled mightily with his jump shooting throughout his career. He would have been more appropriately ranked in the back end of the top 100.
Zakarie Irvin, SG, Michigan (No. 24 in 2013)
This season: 10.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
How he got here: Heavily recruited by in-state programs like Indiana, Butler and Purdue, Irvin chose Michigan before the start of his junior season.
Analysis: Everything about Irvin screamed big-time shooting guard. He had size, he had strength and he had a pretty jump shot coming out of high school. After a relatively quiet freshman year, Irvin was very solid as a sophomore and looked to be on track for a huge junior season. However, offseason back surgery limited him early in the season. Irvin has started to come on of late and is showing an improved all-around game despite his shooting numbers dropping from deep. He hasn’t put up five-star numbers just yet, but he’s far from a bust.