Russ Smith, Luke Hancock and Gorgui Dieng were cornerstones of the Louisville Cardinals' 2013 national championship team and yet none of them were top 100-rated recruits coming out of high school.

Unlike some of the game's other coaching giants, Rick Pitino has never been afraid to go off the path on the recruiting trail. Never the coach to focus exclusively on five-star prospects, Pitino's philosophy has always been of his own making.