With all the discussion about where Tulsa’s basketball program is headed, now is a good time to analyze Tulsa’s recent basketball recruiting under head coach Frank Haith and his staff.

The most obvious thing about sports is that, without players, it doesn’t matter how much a coach can coach-up the players. There has to be talent to succeed.

One of the more uncertain things in life is evaluating a current recruiting class before they hit the floor. It is like giving a grade to an NFL team on the day of the NFL Draft. Some things seem apparent, but you truly never know.

So when Haith’s recruiting classes are analyzed, it is much easier to grade his earlier classes.

The grading scaled is as follows: A - for one of the best classes in school history and should get you a deep run in the NCAA tournament; B - really good - a few of these classes definitely get you to the dance; C - average - these classes gets you a .500 record; D - more than one of these classes often get coaches fired; F - more than one of these, and hello, single-digit wins; and I - incomplete - coach not given a real chance to do well - this happens, only rarely, and mostly with late coaching changes.

In rating the recruiting classes since Nolan Richardson’s first class of 1980, only six teams in the last 39 years get an “A” for a rating. These classes are Nolan’s first two classes of 1980 and 1981, Tubby Smith’s second class of 1993, Bill Self’s classes of 1998 and 1999, and Doug Wojcik’s class of 2006.

Every one of those classes had an immediate and long-term effect. Only the 2006 class, the only class with two future NBA players in Jerome Jordan and Ben Uzoh, failed to get the NCAA tournament.

Starting with Haith’s first class, it is fair to give it an "I" for Incomplete. Considering the late nature of his hiring after Danny Manning’s stunning departure, Haith only had one player reach the campus in the fall. Keondre Dew played in 21 games and did virtually nothing. He later surfaced at Oregon State and had a cup of coffee there.

Haith really shouldn’t be blamed on taking a chance on Dew, who at one time was a highly regarded recruit. Haith took over late, and the bulk of Tulsa’s team had two years remaining eligibility. He missed on that one, and he missed on a wild card signing of another player who never made it to the fall semester.

Haith was in the same boat as Self’s only player he signed in his first year at TU. Anyone remember Chris Kepley? Redshirted and never played.

Unfortunately for Haith, his first year at Tulsa featured no recruiting help from Manning. His only player he signed that made it to campus was Micah Littlejohn, who did absolutely nothing. Players who don’t make it to campus don’t count, so the decent signee Manning took with him to his new job doesn’t count.

The combined recruiting class of 2014, of which Manning gets 95% of the blame, was by far the worst in Tulsa history. It was the only class ever to have absolutely no impact in any game.

It’s a good thing for Tulsa that Haith’s next class was really good. The 2015 class grade is still somewhat incomplete, since point guard Sterling Taplin has one year of eligibility left. Taplin has been a terrific recruit so far, and further improvement in his senior season by him and the Golden Hurricane could elevate him to elite status.

Although Taplin certainly helped his first year, he didn’t have a huge impact until his second year. For immediate impact, there was Pat Birt. It is unfortunate that some people will remember more about his senior season, which was nowhere near as strong as his first season.

But the juco recuit who had played major college ball as a freshman was absolutely essential to Tulsa’s last NCAA tournament team in 2016. Quite simply, there is no tournament bid, and no wins over Wichita State and at SMU, without Birt.

Birt averaged over 15 points in conference play, and provided Tulsa with badly needed outside shooting. Combined with fellow left-handers Shaq Harrison and Juice Woodard, they have to be considered a classic trio of lefties.

Birt was a better complimentary player than star, so his performance fell off as a senior. But his performance in 2016, and especially his memorable stare-down that intimidated SMU’s star player in the final minute of the victory over the Mustangs, was good enough to make him a terrific recruit.

Perhaps the best player in the class is Junior Etou. It is unfortunate that he didn’t get to play in a postseason game, but Etou is the example of exactly the type of student-athlete Tulsa strives to have. He was outstanding, especially as a senior, in his two-year career.

A class of Etou, Taplin and Birt is good enough so far to garner at least a “B” grade. It could raise if Taplin has an incredible senior season. It is no matter that the fourth and last recruit of the class, Kajon Brown, did very little in one season. Hardly any classes in history have had every recruit finish their eligibility at TU.

The 2016 class is still way too early to give a final grade, but so far the nine-member class gets a “C.” It is the biggest recruiting class since Nolan Richardson’s 1980 class, and took up more of the roster than the 1980 class because teams could have 15 on scholarship back in the year Ronald Reagan was elected.

The current limit of 13, which came about in the mid 1980’s, made the nine-member class make up the overwhelming majority of the team. And since Haith couldn’t bring four players from a junior-college national title class like Richardson did, it is unfair to compare Haith’s second class to Richardson’s first class.

Of the nine, two have already completed their eligibility, and three others left after playing only one season. The two juco transfers, Corey Henderson and Jaleel Wheeler, weren’t of the Paul Pressey, Greg Stewart or David Brown caliber, but not many are. Henderson and Wheeler both did well and provided much needed help, especially Henderson this year, who had some tremendous games.

Players who had a small impact in one season were Travis Atson and Joseph Battle. They weren’t awful, but just didn’t pan out. A third player who left, Will Magnay, will be remembered as what could have been.

Looking like a real find early in the season, the 6-10 Magnay was a force early, averaging six points in non-conference play. But he severely tapered off in AAC play, averaging 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in conference games while averaging 11.6 minutes.

Magnay had the potential to be a difference-maker, but perhaps he is injury prone. The Aussie was hindered by injuries during conference play at TU.

Magnay’s bolting for Australian pro ball at the last minute before this season hurt Tulsa since the Golden Hurricane could have made plans to compensate had he not returned after his freshmen season. Of course, he has been on the injured list with his pro team this season due to a mysterious illness.

Of the players still at Tulsa, Martins Igbanu has the most potential. Averaging almost 10 points as a freshman in conference play and all season as a sophomore, the 6-8 Igbanu is an inside presence, and a tough one.

Having played on the perimeter in high school, Igbanu has the ability to shoot from the outside, although he rarely does. His improvement over the next two seasons will go a long way to determining the success of the 2016 recruiting class.

For a recruiting class to have a good ranking, it must have at least one standout player - a player that is all-conference caliber at the least. As of now, the 2016 class does not have one, but that could change.

Quite a few TU players have had little impact until their junior seasons. Players like Pooh Williamson and Willie Biles made their reputations in their final two seasons at TU after playing very little before junior seasons.

Along with Igbanu, the only other freshman recruit from the class is Lawson Korita. There is a lot to like about Korita. An exceptional passer with good court awareness, he was a starter this season who didn’t shoot much. Korita, however, can shoot the ball. The 6-5 wing player just might explode in his final two years as a Golden Hurricane. He has the ability.

Curran Scott was a transfer who had a strong freshmen season at Charlotte. He looked lost during the middle of the season at TU, but rebounded with a strong finish. Tulsa could really use his scoring ability, and he could flourish.

The other player of the class is Geno Artison. The 6-9 juco transfer, originally from Fresno State, hasn’t done a lot, but has shown flashes. With a lack of playing time so far, any future contribution during his senior season will be up in the air.

A lineup of Igbanu, Korita, Wheeler, Scott and Henderson wouldn’t be bad, but at this point, would probably net a .500 season. Hence, the “C” grade. Igbanu, Scott and Korita could all show marked improvement and raise the grade.

The 2017 class of DaQuan Jeffries, Elijah Joiner, Darien Jackson and Jeriah Horne could be a good one, but it is too early to tell. The preliminary grade is a “B.” The grade could vary in the future.

Jeffries provided much-needed athleticism and defense, and also showed he could score, averaging almost 10 points per game. The Western Texas juco transfer who had previously started at ORU lived up to the standard of fellow Western Texas transfers that Nolan Richardson brought with him.

Jeffries could be in for a monster senior season. In particular, he needs to work on his ball-handling, as well as becoming more consistent. The expectations are certainly high.

Elijah Joiner started off very strong as a true freshman and then hit a freshman wall. Still, Joiner provided much-needed help at point guard and shooting guard, and he played significant minutes. It will be interesting to see how he develops.

Darien Jackson didn’t play a lot as a freshman but showed some flashes. The athletic Jackson has shown he can play good defense, but he needs to really work on his outside shot. He can certainly drive to the basket.

Jeriah Horne rounds out the class. The 6-7 Nebraska transfer will take over Etou’s role in many aspects, and he could be as good at Etou, although it would be unfair to expect that at first. Horne has three years of eligibility left, and the highly-recruited player out of high school could be an absolute gem.

As for the 2018 class, it is not completed yet. All three signees are transfers that have three years of eligibility left, with 6-7 guard Zeke Moore looking like the most likely to have an impact. Moore averaged over five points while starting some at Saint Louis, and he can shoot the ball. He could very well wind up starting and excelling from the get-go after sitting out a season while attending a junior college.

Peter Hewitt showed great improvement in his season of juco ball, and at 6-10, he is exactly the type of presence the Golden Hurricane needs to improve from last season. Although he likely won’t start in 2018, he should see significant playing time.

Chris Barnes is another transfer who sat out this season in juco ball. The 6-4 point guard played little for UTEP as a freshmen, so he is a bit of an unknown.

The 2018 recruiting class gets an incomplete grade for obvious reasons, but there is reason for optimism there.

In summary, Haith’s recruiting has been promising. It has been a bit disappointing that he hasn’t signed any local players out of high school, but he and his staff are certainly working on.

So far, Haith’s recruiting got him a 19-12 record, including 12-6 in the strong AAC conference, in his first season of playing entirely his own players (2017-18). There is good cause to believe that TU is on the upswing.

Overall, Haith gets a “B” as a recruiter at TU. If it is indeed a “B” so far, then Tulsa will be back in the NCAA tournament either this coming season, the next season, or both.

If Haith's recruiting classes get better, it will be glory days again for the Golden Hurricane.