Arizona Basketball: Top 5 recruiting classes under Sean Miller

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TUCSON, AZ – NOVEMBER 19: Stanley Johnson #5 of the Arizona Wildcats handles the ball under pressure from Mike Best #33 of the UC Irvine Anteaters during the first half of the college basketball game at McKale Center on November 19, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Anteaters 71-54. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

No.5 – Class of 2014

National rank: 3rd

Pac-12 rank: 1st

Players: Stanley Johnson, Craig Victor, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, and Dusan Ristic

Leading freshman scorer: Stanley Johnson led all freshman and the entire team with 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game

During the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats were led by five-star shooting guard freshman Stanley Johnson. He started in all but one game and averaged 28.4 minutes per game. Besides being the leading scorer on the team, he also filled the stat sheet in all categories.

His aggressive style of play made him a hard guard for most opponents. Johnson had the confidence and the swagger that made him one of the best freshmen in the Pac-12 and in the country.

Watching him play it was hard to believe he was only a freshman. He had the body frame of an upperclassman, which he used to his advantage. It usually takes most incoming talent a couple years to build the type of strength he had. For Johnson, he was in great condition from day one.

He was one of the main reasons why Arizona Basketball made it all the way to the NCCA Tournament Regional Final before falling to Wisconsin. The other three freshmen saw limited playing time, but that was because they were playing behind the likes of T. J. McConnell and Kaleb Tarczweski.

Both Dusan Ristic and Parker Jackson-Cartwright played in almost every game during the season, but not start in a one. The experience they gained that season from the sideline, on the court, and during practice helped them become impact players their senior years.

Even though this class only had one player that stood out, it was the impact he had that put this class at the No.5 spot.

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