ASGR (All-Star Girls Report), School Sports, and Blue Star and generally considered to be the top three women's recruiting services.
School Sports has all four Duke women's recruits in its top 23 players, with Mistie Bass being a First-Team All-American, and Caitlin Howe being a second-team All-American.
School Sports' top 50
players...note that this is of September 6, 2001, and where the players are going to school has not been updated).
School Sports' Preseason All-American
team.
ASGR has all four Duke recruits in its top 14 players, three of whom are in the top 10. Brooke Smith is #7, Mistie Bass is #9, Caitlin Howe is #10, and Lindsey Harding is #14.
Blue Star just came out with its revised rankings, and no Duke recruit is in the top ten. Three are ranked between 15 and 20, while the fourth (Brooke Smith) is ranked 33rd. Moreover, Duke is only ranked as having the third best recruiting class (behind Connecticut and Tennessee).
MY TAKE:
While Connecticut has certainly moved to the top of the recruiting rankings along with Duke (assuming they get Barbara Turner to go along with their other three players), it certainly is not a consensus #1. Based upon the ASGR rankings, Duke would still have the best recruiting class. According to ASGR, Duke has 4 players in the top 14, three of whom are in the top 10. By contrast, assuming Turner signs with Connecticut, UConn would have four players in the top 35, none of whom in the top 10. ASGR has both Tennessee recruits in the top 10 (at #2 and #8 respectively), but compared to Duke, it would still far short.
School Sports has the four Duke players ranked #5, #15, #17, and #23. By contrast, UConn's players (assuming Turner signs) are ranked #2, #6, #7, and #11. Tennessee's players are ranked #4 and #10.
Blue Star has Duke's players at #15, #16, #20, and #33. Tennessee's players are ranked #6 and #21. Assuming Turner signs with Connecticut, UConn will have the #3, #4, #8, and #13 ranked players.
Based upon all three sources and considering all of their rankings equally, UConn and Duke have the two best classes, with UConn probably slightly ahead overall. Clearly, however, this is Duke's best recruiting class ever (although last year's class of Monique Currie and Wynter Whitley was top-5 by every major recruiting service).
However, the biggest variable is Seimone Augustus. She visited Duke this past weekend, and, from my understanding, received a very warm reception from the crowd and even was the subject of a few cheers. I hope that Alana Beard being from Louisiana (where Augustus lives) will help. Augustus is ranked as the #2 recruit by Blue Star, the #3 recruit by School Sports, and the #1 recruit by ASGR. Duke is thought to lead for Augustus (http://www.womensbball.com/new_page_6.htm ... discussing how Duke and Purdue are Augustus' top two choices)
If Duke signs Augustus, Coach G will have 5 of the top 14 recruits according to ASGR, including the #1 player in the country...5 of the top 23 recruits according to School Sports (including two First-Team All Americans in Augustus and Mistie Bass)...and 5 of the top 33 players according to Blue Star.
While Coach K has one of the top incoming classes of all-time, if Augustus signs, Coach G will have one of the top incoming classes of all-time as well.
by Uhrman, Barry