I've Got Five On It: Looking back at the 2018 class
September is always a critical recruiting month. Important officials unfold and coaches hit the road for in-home visits. The month is capable of allowing the long-standing favorites to seal the deal or changing the entire direction of a recruitment.
This week in I've Got Five On It, we celebrate one of the recruiting calendar’s most crucial months by taking a look back five years to where things stood in relation to the top five prospects in the class of 2018.
Below, Rivals explores how each class of 2018 prospect was viewed and where things stood on the recruiting front in mid-September of 2017 before examining how things shook out in the end.
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Ranking: No. 1
Five years ago: September of 2017 represented the home stretch of Barrett’s recruitment. The No. 1 prospect in the country wrapped up a Kentucky visit on Sept. 4 and had trimmed his list to include Arizona, Duke, Michigan and Oregon along with the Wildcats. Barrett would eliminate Arizona and Michigan roughly two weeks later and ultimately commit to Duke, which began to separate itself as the front-runner in late September, on Nov.10.
These days: The recruiting victory worked out for Duke, for whom Barrett earned first-team All-American honors in his one season in Durham. He was selected by the Knicks with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and remains with the organization today. He recently signed a four-year, $120 million extension to remain with the team.
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Ranking: No. 2
Five years ago: Little was the primary target for a number of programs, but his focus had started to narrow by September 2017. He was being particularly heavily courted by Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner, who was yet to coach his first game in Atlanta but made serious inroads with Little and his circle. North Carolina was just starting to be talked about as the favorite to land Little, however, and those whispers became reality on Oct. 4, when the five-star wing chose the defending champion Tar Heels.
These days: Little declared for the NBA Draft after a solid but unremarkable freshman season at UNC, where he averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2019 NBA Draft and remains with the team to this day. He’s had some injury issues recently and is still attempting to find his footing and reach his potential as a pro.
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Ranking: No. 3
Five years ago: Reddish committed to Duke on Sept. 1 of 2017, so his decision was already put to bed by this time five years ago. He spent his senior season improving his stock, however, and jumped up to No. 3 from No. 5 after choosing the Blue Devils. His commitment sent both Villanova and Kentucky, both of which had sunk major resources into Reddish’s recruitment, searching for backup options as fall took hold.
These days: Reddish’s Duke debut came against Kentucky, which heavily recruited him. He scored 22 points in that contest and, a few months later, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick of the 2019 draft. Today, Reddish plays for the Knicks, to which he was traded in January of this year. He suffered a season-ending injury a couple months later after playing limited minutes in just 15 games. The upcoming season feels like a turning point in Reddish’s career as he nears the end of his rookie contract.
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Ranking: No. 4
Five years ago: Bol had not yet taken his official visit to Oregon, but dates for what would turn out to be a crucial trip were finalized roughly five years ago this week. He would, of course, eventually sign with the Ducks, but that outcome was not clear on Sept. 14, 2017. Instead, the No. 4 prospect in the country was seen as an Arizona lean and may well have signed with Wildcats had news of the school’s involvement in the men’s basketball wiretapping scandal not broken in late September. Bol’s recruitment was thrown into flux on Sept. 26 of 2017 when Wildcats assistant Emanuel “Book" Richardson was arrested in connection with the FBI investigation. With then-Arizona head coach Sean Miller’s future drenched in uncertainty, Bol’s early-October official visit to Oregon helped yield a commitment to the Ducks on Nov. 20.
These days: Bol’s entire post-high school career has been defined by injuries. He played just nine games in one season at Oregon and slid into the second round of the 2019 draft. His rights were traded before he signed a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets, which stashed him in the G League while he developed. He’s played just 53 NBA games since being drafted in 2019, as injuries have continued to plague him. Today, Bol is a member of the Orlando Magic.
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Ranking: No. 5
Five years ago: Williamson was causing rankings debates at Rivals at this time five years ago, as he was clearly under-ranked but injuries and a still-developing jumper led to him landing at No. 5 overall. From a recruiting standpoint, September 2017 was a hectic time for the five-star. He hosted both Kentucky and UCLA for in-home visits on Sept. 13, but seemed to be most intrigued by in-state Clemson and South Carolina. Duke, which was viewed as a bit of an afterthought at the time, was expected to make an in-home visit the week of Sept. 15, but Hurricane Irma forced the visit’s cancellation. Still, Williamson shocked everyone by choosing the Blue Devils four months later amid whispers that he would almost definitely stay in-state.
These days: Williamson’s freshman season at Duke exceeded even Blue Devil fans’ expectations, as he was named National Player of the Year before being selected first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. The injury concerns that popped up in high school have started to take hold again. Williamson has been tremendous when on the floor, averaging 25 points and seven rebounds per contest, but has played just 85 games in three NBA seasons. He recently received a max deal from the New Orleans Pelicans.