Holy crap. After a summer that seemed so lost, when we swung and missed on so many prospects, JT3 and his staff have somehow salvaged a top 25 recruiting class.
Mikael Hopkins is ranked #40 in ESPN's top 100, while Jabril Trawick is now ranked #70. Hopkins was expected to be a top prospect, but it's nice to see Trawick getting some love when people initially thought he was a reach for the staff.
ESPN had some nice things to say about him:
Should bring an attitude and measure of toughness to the Hoyas. He'll be a kid who prefers to score, will accept tougher defensive assignments and be a four year bulldog.
After the Jump, read more about ESPN's thoughts on our recruiting class.
On Mikael Hopkins:
Hopkins has the size and talent to be an excellent power forward. His shooting touch and ability to block shots along with running the floor make him a very attractive player. He must work on his on court energy level to take his game to the next level in which he is very capable.
The one thing concerning there is the on court energy. I have read about Hopkins a few times from different services, and all seem to say that. Hopefully the prospect of playing professional basketball will motivate him while he plays on a big stage. I thought the staff did a nice job motivating Greg Monroe, who was talked about in the same manner coming out of high school.
On Tyler Adams:
Recent Duke decommit Tyler Adams (Brandon, Miss./Brandon) rounds out this class and is one of the very few wide-bodied posts in the 2011 class. He also has soft hands that allow him to catch balls on drive-and-dish situations.
Between 2010 and 2011, we have 7 very good recruits that should be four year contributors. It is nice to have some stability now, especially with the offseason turmoil we had the last few years with all the transfers. 2012 is off to a nice start with Brandon Bolden, and we are hot on the trail with many of the top recruits.
Rakeem Christmas can eat one.