The world of basketball recruiting is a strange one. Because roster sizes are smaller than in other sports, recruiting often fluctuates. Some years, a team is full and only pursues one recruit. Other years, the roster turns over, and a team pursues four recruits and three players in the portal.
Head coach Greg Gard has really figured out how to balance this over the years. Not only has he mastered the portal, signing Max Klesmit and Kamari McGee in 2022, AJ Storr in 2023 and John Tonje in 2024. Gard has done an excellent job recruiting, too, signing Steven Crowl and Johnny Davis in 2020, Chucky Hepburn in 2021, Connor Essegian in 2022 and John Blackwell and Nolan Winter in 2023.