JJ, Shelden, Shav, Dock, MT, and Lee
- vs -
Kyle, Nolan, and King Taylor

I remember the '02 class being the most lauded in recent memory. (I wasn't following recruiting in '99 so I can't compare the hype.) And we know how well they turned out: disappointments aside, two retired jerseys + two key glue guys is exceptional for any class. I don't see that feat being repeated anytime soon.

Yet I think there's a legitimate argument to be made that the '07 guys brought more immediate impact. And it's only January! Kyle already has a tourney MVP award under his belt; took JJ until March. By January 2003 Shel/Shav had shown they were an upgrade over Casey/Horvath, but hadn't truly emerged...even by season's end their stats looked more similar than I expected. Contrast with TK and Nolan: they bring completely new looks to the game when they enter the game (even though I don't expect them to become starters like Shel did).