2023 Men's Basketball Recruiting

[DavidBenAkiva]

Might as well start this thread, right?

Coach K and John Scheyer pulled up a seat courtside to observe a young man, LeBron James, Jr. He's a talented young player with a decent pedigree. Seems to like Duke, too.

https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1122126164267606017

[DavidBenAkiva]

Mike Schmitz of ESPN was also at the EYBL event in Atlanta and took in some action. He had this to say about "Bronny,":


First time seeing Bronny James Jr. Clearly physically interesting but like that he makes an effort to play the right way. Definitely has vision to go along with the strong bloodlines.

https://twitter.com/Mike_Schmitz/status/1122115235513499649

[lotusland]

OAD for sure. 31-32 MPG. Look for some of the returning guys to transfer.

[proelitedota]

OAD for sure. 31-32 MPG. Look for some of the returning guys to transfer.

Can we get the 2023 minutes thread started?

[kAzE]

Crystal ball 100% Duke :D

https://247sports.com/Player/LeBron-James-Jr-46058619/

But won't he most likely be able to go straight to the NBA by then?

[simplyluvin]

Crystal ball 100% Duke :D

https://247sports.com/Player/LeBron-James-Jr-46058619/

But won't he most likely be able to go straight to the NBA by then?

Not like he needs the money. I’ll bet Dad has already told him the one thing he missed out on was the college experience, although going pro was the right thing for Bron Sr.

[TKG]

I am concerned about Nike’s influence with the family.

[JasonEvans]

I am concerned about Nike’s influence with the family.

Yeah, I have it on good authority that Nike is paying his father tens of millions of dollars a year! What's more, his family has a relationship with an agent... in fact, I think he father is a partial owner of an agency. How can a kid like that possibly be NCAA eligible?

[BD80]

I hear he might reclassify ...

[Pghdukie]

I can see This thread will bring out the best DBR punsters !

[JasonEvans]

Bronny tweeted an image of himself (https://twitter.com/BronnyJamesJr/status/1154840332078604289) yesterday. It remains unclear what school he is leaning toward attending.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EAbRKNjXsAA9KuI?format=jpg&name=900x900

[kAzE]

Hmmm, my instincts are telling me he could be considering Duke :p

But I hope he grows 2-3 more inches.

[phaedrus]

Hmmm, my instincts are telling me he could be considering Duke :p

But I hope he grows 2-3 more inches.

He’s actually being recruited as a big man coach.

[dukelifer]

Hmmm, my instincts are telling me he could be considering Duke :p

But I hope he grows 2-3 more inches.

But will he be better than Jordan- I mean Marcus Jordan. The pundits are already split.

[Rickshaw]

Those are bad puns .

[Rickshaw]

OK... I take it back . Maybe one out of a dozen are funny .

[CameronBlue]

OK... I take it back . Maybe one out of a dozen are funny .

Give em a chance, they'll groan on you.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Bronny tweeted an image of himself (https://twitter.com/BronnyJamesJr/status/1154840332078604289) yesterday. It remains unclear what school he is leaning toward attending.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EAbRKNjXsAA9KuI?format=jpg&name=900x900

Obviously, I love this. But I have to ask, is this an official account?

[English]

Obviously, I love this. But I have to ask, is this an official account?

Bronny isn't on Twitter, so no, but it became a national story and still almost broke the interwebs all the same.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Some familiar names will appear on this list (http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2023) for those that know their basketball history.

1. DJ Wagner, 6'3" PG, Camden, NJ
2. Jalen Lewis, 6'8" C, Oakland, CA
3. Mikey Williams, 6'1" SG, San Ysidro, CA
4. Omaha Bielew, 6'7" PF, Phoenix, AZ
5. Mookie Cook, 6'5" SF, Portland, OR
6. Baye Fall, 6'11" PF, Denver, CO
7. Kwame Evans, 6'6" SF, Baltimore, MD
8. Simeon Wicher, 6'3" SG, Roselle, NJ
9. Matt Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
10. Tyler Smith, 6'7" SF, Houston, TX
11. Akil Watson, 6'7" PF, Ramsey, NJ
12. Ron Holland, 6'6" SF, Duncanville, TX
13. Chris Lockett, 6'3" SF, New Orleans, LA
14. Ryan Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
15. Isaiah Collier, 6'2" PG, Marietta, GA
16. Kanaan Carlyle, 6'2" PG, Milton, GA
17. Curtis Williams, 6'5" SF, Birmingham, MI
18.Sam Walters, 6'7" PF, The Villages, FL
19. Mackenzie Mgbako, 6'7" PF, Gladstone, NJ
20. Javonte Taylor, 6'7" SF, Chicago, IL
21. Jordan Butler, 6'9" C, Mauldin, SC
22. Rayvon Griffith, 6'4" SG, Cincinnati, OH
23. Cameron Barnes, 6'10" C, Duncanville, TX
24. Bronny James, 6'2" PG, Los Angeles, CA
25. Jared McCain, 5'11" PG, Corona, CA

[sagegrouse]

Some familiar names will appear on this list (http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2023) for those that know their basketball history.

1. DJ Wagner, 6'3" PG, Camden, NJ
2. Jalen Lewis, 6'8" C, Oakland, CA
3. Mikey Williams, 6'1" SG, San Ysidro, CA
4. Omaha Bielew, 6'7" PF, Phoenix, AZ
5. Mookie Cook, 6'5" SF, Portland, OR
6. Baye Fall, 6'11" PF, Denver, CO
7. Kwame Evans, 6'6" SF, Baltimore, MD
8. Simeon Wicher, 6'3" SG, Roselle, NJ
9. Matt Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
10. Tyler Smith, 6'7" SF, Houston, TX
11. Akil Watson, 6'7" PF, Ramsey, NJ
12. Ron Holland, 6'6" SF, Duncanville, TX
13. Chris Lockett, 6'3" SF, New Orleans, LA
14. Ryan Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
15. Isaiah Collier, 6'2" PG, Marietta, GA
16. Kanaan Carlyle, 6'2" PG, Milton, GA
17. Curtis Williams, 6'5" SF, Birmingham, MI
18.Sam Walters, 6'7" PF, The Villages, FL
19. Mackenzie Mgbako, 6'7" PF, Gladstone, NJ
20. Javonte Taylor, 6'7" SF, Chicago, IL
21. Jordan Butler, 6'9" C, Mauldin, SC
22. Rayvon Griffith, 6'4" SG, Cincinnati, OH
23. Cameron Barnes, 6'10" C, Duncanville, TX
24. Bronny James, 6'2" PG, Los Angeles, CA
25. Jared McCain, 5'11" PG, Corona, CA

Well, I have mixed emotions about "Cameron Barnes." I see a few familiar surnames -- Baye Fall -- and, of course, LeBron the Younger.

[jimsumner]

Some familiar names will appear on this list (http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/class/2023) for those that know their basketball history.

1. DJ Wagner, 6'3" PG, Camden, NJ
2. Jalen Lewis, 6'8" C, Oakland, CA
3. Mikey Williams, 6'1" SG, San Ysidro, CA
4. Omaha Bielew, 6'7" PF, Phoenix, AZ
5. Mookie Cook, 6'5" SF, Portland, OR
6. Baye Fall, 6'11" PF, Denver, CO
7. Kwame Evans, 6'6" SF, Baltimore, MD
8. Simeon Wicher, 6'3" SG, Roselle, NJ
9. Matt Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
10. Tyler Smith, 6'7" SF, Houston, TX
11. Akil Watson, 6'7" PF, Ramsey, NJ
12. Ron Holland, 6'6" SF, Duncanville, TX
13. Chris Lockett, 6'3" SF, New Orleans, LA
14. Ryan Bewley, 6'6" PF, Fort Lauderdale, FL
15. Isaiah Collier, 6'2" PG, Marietta, GA
16. Kanaan Carlyle, 6'2" PG, Milton, GA
17. Curtis Williams, 6'5" SF, Birmingham, MI
18.Sam Walters, 6'7" PF, The Villages, FL
19. Mackenzie Mgbako, 6'7" PF, Gladstone, NJ
20. Javonte Taylor, 6'7" SF, Chicago, IL
21. Jordan Butler, 6'9" C, Mauldin, SC
22. Rayvon Griffith, 6'4" SG, Cincinnati, OH
23. Cameron Barnes, 6'10" C, Duncanville, TX
24. Bronny James, 6'2" PG, Los Angeles, CA
25. Jared McCain, 5'11" PG, Corona, CA

I assume D.J. Wagner is related to Milt Wagner, of '86 Louisville fame.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Dajuan "DJ" Wagner, Jr. is indeed the grandson of Milt Wagner and son of Dajuan Wagner. He has the chance to become the first third generation player in NBA history.

Also of note in this class if Mikey Williams. Like Zion before him, Mikey is the next "social media star" with a huge following. Unlike Zion, Williams is more traditional in his physique as a blossoming guard prospect.

From Florida, Matthew and Ryan Bewley are the next set of basketball twins to grace the Top 25, joining the Lopez, Harrison, and Wear twins before them.

And then, of course, there is Bronny James.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Interesting new recruiting tactic from Duke (https://sports.theonion.com/duke-basketball-attempts-to-lure-bronny-james-by-offeri-1846449122?rev=1615479855376&utm_campaign=TheOnion&utm_content=1615480408&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_source=twitter)

[JasonEvans]

Duke has reached out to 2023 5-star PG Rob Dillingham: https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/status/1404789123072790533

Here is a somewhat ridiculous mix-tape of his shiftiness and dribbling/shooting skills: https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1392531272044531716

[cbolden1]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Duke has reached out to 2023 5-star PG Rob Dillingham: https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/status/1404789123072790533

Here is a somewhat ridiculous mix-tape of his shiftiness and dribbling/shooting skills: https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1392531272044531716

He goes to a school called "Combine Academy" in the Charlotte area - their mascot is the Goats. Looking at their web site, they are affiliated with New Balance and their "Executive Director of High School Basketball" is the one and only Jeff "Have you driven a Ford lately" McInnis.

https://www.combineacademy.com/

[DavidBenAkiva]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

The NBA has been and continues to scout high school recruits, for what it's worth. The NBA is allowing NBA scouts to be in person at Peach Jam and Nike's EYBL events this July.

https://twitter.com/JeremyWoo/status/1403470566959501313

[sagegrouse]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

It seems the whole basketball world is headed toward "one-and-done." The NBA-ready players will stop off for a season in college or an alternative league. Those far from NBA ready will go to Div II or the lesser Div I schools and transfer to a Power Six program if they show a lot of ability. (And if they are really good, they can be OAD times two.)

Gee, I wonder why Roy and K decided to retire?

[budwom]

The OAD rule isn't going away anytime soon. Logically the GMs don't want to scout high school kids and have to draft them and NBA players aren't giving something up to get it to go away. With the Gleague and other pathways opening up the OAD rule will be here for a while

maybe we amend it to One and Elsewhere?

[cbolden1]

The NBA has been and continues to scout high school recruits, for what it's worth. The NBA is allowing NBA scouts to be in person at Peach Jam and Nike's EYBL events this July.

https://twitter.com/JeremyWoo/status/1403470566959501313

I think this prob has more to do with the League pathway than the OAD rule. I don't think the NBA puts as much money as they are doing for that pathway program if they honestly thought that the OAD would be done with the next CBA which isn't until 2024 (I believe). Things could change and I could be very wrong it just doesn't seem lot me in my opinion from all the breadcrumbs and logic ( neither owners giving up more money or players giving something up like more BRI or changes to the combine rules/draft rules)

[DukieTiger]

Dajuan "DJ" Wagner, Jr. is indeed the grandson of Milt Wagner and son of Dajuan Wagner. He has the chance to become the first third generation player in NBA history.

Also of note in this class if Mikey Williams. Like Zion before him, Mikey is the next "social media star" with a huge following. Unlike Zion, Williams is more traditional in his physique as a blossoming guard prospect.

From Florida, Matthew and Ryan Bewley are the next set of basketball twins to grace the Top 25, joining the Lopez, Harrison, and Wear twins before them.

And then, of course, there is Bronny James.

Also of note about Mikey is that even though he’s from CA, he’s a local prospect who plays HS ball outside of Charlotte.

[gam7]

Also of note about Mikey is that even though he’s from CA, he’s a local prospect who plays HS ball outside of Charlotte.

One other thing of note about Mikey is that he has spoken very positively about the idea of playing at a HBCU (and his mom attended an HBCU - Hampton University).

Also, I'm ready for us to offer Mookie Cook based on name alone. Coco Crisp too!

[bullettoothtony]

Duke has reached out to 2023 5-star PG Rob Dillingham: https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/status/1404789123072790533

Here is a somewhat ridiculous mix-tape of his shiftiness and dribbling/shooting skills: https://twitter.com/overtime/status/1392531272044531716

Is he a reclass candidate? Too early to tell?

[DavidBenAkiva]

I think this prob has more to do with the League pathway than the OAD rule. I don't think the NBA puts as much money as they are doing for that pathway program if they honestly thought that the OAD would be done with the next CBA which isn't until 2024 (I believe). Things could change and I could be very wrong it just doesn't seem lot me in my opinion from all the breadcrumbs and logic ( neither owners giving up more money or players giving something up like more BRI or changes to the combine rules/draft rules)

My point is that NBA scouts attending high school events is not a new thing. They have been scouting high school players before and during the one-and-done era. The NBA front offices don't begin their background work on players when they enter college or the G-League or wherever. They have long scouting reports and files on these players. It's the same thing with the Duke coaching staff. They know who a lot of their top targets will be years before they receive an offer. What I was sharing was news in that the NBA stopped sending scouts out to AAU events during COVID. Maybe OAD goes away or maybe it doesn't. In the end, I think it has to do with how the NBA and PA feel about the issue rather than a dollars and cents discussion.

When Adam Silver changed his position a couple of years ago to oppose OAD in favor of the professional route, he mentioned that he was moved by the general push in favor of players' ability to make their own decisions rather than the paternalistic model we have now that arbitrarily decides when a player is ready. If you follow that to its logical conclusion, we might eventually see a push for a system similar to European soccer where clubs sign prospects to academies rather than the current approach which locks players into exclusive contracts with teams. The current system in American sports is very anti-labor until players reach free agency. I wonder if the next crop of NBA owners will see this and move towards a different system for basketball. The G-League ignite is a move in that direction. The Overtime Elite team seems to be designed to be bought out by a professional team at some point. Until then, one-and-done is sort of window dressing. It matters a whole heck of a lot to the college game and the few teams that get one-and-done players. It's kind of beside the point for the people that are making the decisions.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Travis Branham of 247Sports reports that Duke, among many others, has recently contacted 6'2" PG Caleb Foster from Virginia's Oak Hill Academy. Duke has had success with Oak Hill point guards...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ejmw2_6XcAAu48K.jpg

[cbolden1]

My point is that NBA scouts attending high school events is not a new thing. They have been scouting high school players before and during the one-and-done era. The NBA front offices don't begin their background work on players when they enter college or the G-League or wherever. They have long scouting reports and files on these players. It's the same thing with the Duke coaching staff. They know who a lot of their top targets will be years before they receive an offer. What I was sharing was news in that the NBA stopped sending scouts out to AAU events during COVID. Maybe OAD goes away or maybe it doesn't. In the end, I think it has to do with how the NBA and PA feel about the issue rather than a dollars and cents discussion.

When Adam Silver changed his position a couple of years ago to oppose OAD in favor of the professional route, he mentioned that he was moved by the general push in favor of players' ability to make their own decisions rather than the paternalistic model we have now that arbitrarily decides when a player is ready. If you follow that to its logical conclusion, we might eventually see a push for a system similar to European soccer where clubs sign prospects to academies rather than the current approach which locks players into exclusive contracts with teams. The current system in American sports is very anti-labor until players reach free agency. I wonder if the next crop of NBA owners will see this and move towards a different system for basketball. The G-League ignite is a move in that direction. The Overtime Elite team seems to be designed to be bought out by a professional team at some point. Until then, one-and-done is sort of window dressing. It matters a whole heck of a lot to the college game and the few teams that get one-and-done players. It's kind of beside the point for the people that are making the decisions.

I think you misunderstood me. I know scouting high school has been a thing for a long time, I said NBA GMs don't like doing it and don't want to have to do it to the point they will have to if they had to draft a bunch of kids out of HS. Having to Scout players in HS got a lot of GMs and Owners in problems in the past thats why the rule got changed to save teams from themselves. While scouting has gotten a lot better since then if Teams don't have to figure out a new way of doing things while having other Orgs doing some of the Development of the players for them they won't have to. I agree the model we have now will be down with at some point it won't be in time for any recruit we know about now especially Bronny James

[907bluedevils]

According to Andrew Slater, we've reached out to Mackenzie Mgbako and Taylor Bowen

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1404883750308257793?s=20

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1404867732508655617?s=20

[JasonEvans]

Jon Scheyer has a rep as a stud recruiter... and he's making sure no one forgets it. He's going HARD at the class of 2022 and 2023.

Would really love to see Bronnie pick Duke because I suspect he will have some influence over other top-tier prospects.

[907bluedevils]

Add Kwame Evans Jr to the list.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1404928339685543937?s=20

[DavidBenAkiva]

Fresh off of offering a J.J. (Starling) in the Class of 2022, Duke and Head Coach in Waiting Jon Scheyer have extended an offer to their first Class of 2023 player, J.J. Taylor according to Brian McLawhorn of Rivals (https://twitter.com/BrianRIVALS/status/1404969816528756736). Taylor is a 6'8" Forward from Chicago's Kenwood Academy. Taylor is a long and lanky forward with a sweet shooting stroke that oozes versatility on the court.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zoh05c78qI

[DavidBenAkiva]

HCIW Jon Scheyer and the coaching staff have extended an offer to another player in the Class of 2023 according to Andrew Slater (https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1406721664461819906). Mackenzie Mgbako is a 6'8" forward from New Jersey's Gill St. Bernard. Mgbako is a smooth wing, good athlete without being overwhelming, and can score at all three levels.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMRbtUsYDKg

[DavidBenAkiva]

According to his twitter account (https://twitter.com/GregJ2023/status/1407047599178268672), top 30 6'8" F G.G. Jackson has received an offer from Duke.

[53n206]

Fresh off of offering a J.J. (Starling) in the Class of 2022, Duke and Head Coach in Waiting Jon Scheyer have extended an offer to their first Class of 2023 player, J.J. Taylor according to Brian McLawhorn of Rivals (https://twitter.com/BrianRIVALS/status/1404969816528756736). Taylor is a 6'8" Forward from Chicago's Kenwood Academy. Taylor is a long and lanky forward with a sweet shooting stroke that oozes versatility on the court.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zoh05c78qI

Sweet

[jimsumner]

According to his twitter account (https://twitter.com/GregJ2023/status/1407047599178268672), top 30 6'8" F G.G. Jackson has received an offer from Duke.

So, Scheyer is going to be the first coach to start five 6-8 forwards.

[tommy]

And we may have both J.J. and G.G. in the lineup. If so we'd probably need to select some BB King music to play as the team comes out of the tunnel, and we'd have to appoint ee cummings as the team poet . . . .

[kAzE]

So, Scheyer is going to be the first coach to start five 6-8 forwards.

Hey, as long as they can fit together on the court and can play championship caliber basketball, that is all that matters.

[Billy Dat]

So, Scheyer is going to be the first coach to start five 6-8 forwards.

He must have liked those 2008-2009 line-ups with he, Lance, Kyle, GHendo and McClure.

[kAzE]

All time All 6'8" team?

PG: LeBron James
SG: Tracy McGrady
SF: Grant Hill
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Dennis Rodman

[CrazyNotCrazie]

So, Scheyer is going to be the first coach to start five 6-8 forwards.

I thought that was basically what the late 80s Illinois flyin' Illini were but I just checked and most of them were under 6-8.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988%E2%80%9389_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_men%27s_b asketball_team

[CameronBornAndBred]

Duke has offered PG Caleb Foster (Oak Hill).

https://247sports.com/player/caleb-foster-46103042/

[scottdude8]

Duke has offered PG Caleb Foster (Oak Hill).

https://247sports.com/player/caleb-foster-46103042/

Another indication that Duke thinks Jeremy will be around 3/4 years: the first 5* PG offered by Scheyer is in the class of 2023, not 2022.

[JasonEvans]

Worth noting that Foster grew up in North Carolina and is supposedly a huge Duke fan. He loves Kyrie and the Jones brothers. Not saying this will be an easy recruiting situation, but we should have a bit of a leg up on this kid.

Also, he plays at Oak Hill, which is where Nolan, Quinn, and Will Avery all played in high school.

[DavidBenAkiva]

It's interesting to see Duke go back to the well for some of the first recruits of the Jon Scheyer era. His first PG offer is from Oak Hill Academy and grew up in North Carolina? It's like he was made for Duke.

[Dukehk]

The 2023 class has 3 guys from NJ, 2 guys from NC, 1 from Montverde and another from Chicago in the top 10.

Expecting Coach Scheyer to help us reel in a monster class..

[DavidBenAkiva]

Top PG prospect Caleb Foster of Oak Hill Academy released his Top 8, and Duke makes the cut. There has been buzz on the interwebs that Foster is looking at Duke, so it was no surprise to see the Blue Devils there.

Foster also lists Auburn, Charlotte, Clemson, Louisville, Stanford, Virginia, and Wake Forest. You don't see Charlotte in that kind of list very often.

https://twitter.com/iamcalebfoster/status/1428146766323531778
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9HL6QjWYAIe50r?format=jpg&name=small

[quahog174]

Top PG prospect Caleb Foster of Oak Hill Academy released his Top 8, and Duke makes the cut. There has been buzz on the interwebs that Foster is looking at Duke, so it was no surprise to see the Blue Devils there.

Foster also lists Auburn, Charlotte, Clemson, Louisville, Stanford, Virginia, and Wake Forest. You don't see Charlotte in that kind of list very often.

https://twitter.com/iamcalebfoster/status/1428146766323531778
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E9HL6QjWYAIe50r?format=jpg&name=small

Maybe I’m reading into things too much, but of the remaining school logos, it seems only Stanford’s would fit into the stone outline behind him in the image. Let’s hope not a foreshadowing.

[mph]

Maybe I’m reading into things too much, but of the remaining school logos, it seems only Stanford’s would fit into the stone outline behind him in the image. Let’s hope not a foreshadowing.

Looks like the #8. Maybe for the 8 schools on his list?

[roywhite]

Seems like a lot of offers by Duke already for the Class of 2023, where players are about to start their junior year in high school. (Michael Jordan at this point had not yet made his varsity team).

Is this a change in strategy by new Coach Scheyer to line up his 2023 recruiting class early? Or more just the nature of the current recruiting atmosphere? Is he going about this differently than Coach K did?

[DavidBenAkiva]

Seems like a lot of offers by Duke already for the Class of 2023, where players are about to start their junior year in high school. (Michael Jordan at this point had not yet made his varsity team).

Is this a change in strategy by new Coach Scheyer to line up his 2023 recruiting class early? Or more just the nature of the current recruiting atmosphere? Is he going about this differently than Coach K did?

I've done a little digging and there is conflicting information out there about JJ Taylor. Some say he has received an offer while others say he has not. If you look at the offers page on 247Sports, for example, it's Caleb Foster, GG Jackson, Mackenzie Mgbako, and JJ Taylor.

That seems about normal for players entering their junior year of high school. Tyus Jones, for example, received an offer from Coach K and Duke in February 2012, at the end of his sophomore year of high school. My recollection of these things pre-COVID is that the team narrows its focus on a few key players during the summer before their junior year of high school and then offers a few more during the summer of their senior year. Given that recruiting for the Class of 2022 is in full swing, I doubt we'll see more offers for 6+ months.

[budwom]

Seems like a lot of offers by Duke already for the Class of 2023, where players are about to start their junior year in high school. (Michael Jordan at this point had not yet made his varsity team).

Is this a change in strategy by new Coach Scheyer to line up his 2023 recruiting class early? Or more just the nature of the current recruiting atmosphere? Is he going about this differently than Coach K did?

I'm just guessing that the pandemic year put everyone behind the eight ball a bit...couldn't see the younger prospects at all during the summer, so I suspect this summer was a good opportunity to see a lot of guys and get a head start on next year's class.
That's a long winded way of saying I think he's going back to how things used to be done, after Covid screwed things up for a solid year.

[dukelifer]

Seems like a lot of offers by Duke already for the Class of 2023, where players are about to start their junior year in high school. (Michael Jordan at this point had not yet made his varsity team).

Is this a change in strategy by new Coach Scheyer to line up his 2023 recruiting class early? Or more just the nature of the current recruiting atmosphere? Is he going about this differently than Coach K did?

At that point- Steph Curry weighed 140 lbs. Wow did Va Tech miss on him.

[roywhite]

Who's likely to have the best 2023 recruiting class?

Could well be Overtime Elite.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32069127/tyler-smith-no-8-basketball-prospect-2023-class-signs-elite

"This is different and new," Smith said. "I wanted to be a pro already, working on stuff that NBA players work on. In high school, you can't work out as much as they do at OTE."

Smith is the seventh five-star recruit to sign with the upstart league. He is considered one of the best long-term prospects in the class, spurning scholarship offers from schools such as Kansas, Baylor, Texas, Florida State, Oklahoma, Memphis, LSU and others.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Who's likely to have the best 2023 recruiting class?

Could well be Overtime Elite.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32069127/tyler-smith-no-8-basketball-prospect-2023-class-signs-elite

"This is different and new," Smith said. "I wanted to be a pro already, working on stuff that NBA players work on. In high school, you can't work out as much as they do at OTE."

Smith is the seventh five-star recruit to sign with the upstart league. He is considered one of the best long-term prospects in the class, spurning scholarship offers from schools such as Kansas, Baylor, Texas, Florida State, Oklahoma, Memphis, LSU and others.

I'm 100% ok with any potential one and done going that route instead of going to Duke.

[DavidBenAkiva]

I'm 100% ok with any potential one and done going that route instead of going to Duke.

Don't hold your breath. Until the NBA decides to get rid of one-and-done, there will still be plenty of them going to college and a number of them are going to Duke each year.

[Phredd3]

I'm 100% ok with any potential one and done going that route instead of going to Duke.

Amen, brother! I want players in college who want to be in college to the extent that is possible. If that means Duke is "worse", that's fine with me. All colleges will be in the same boat, and I will still watch college ball and likely will not watch one moment of OTE.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Amen, brother! I want players in college who want to be in college to the extent that is possible. If that means Duke is "worse", that's fine with me. All colleges will be in the same boat, and I will still watch college ball and likely will not watch one moment of OTE.

I completely agree. Don't force people to go to college who absolutely don't want to be there. I'm glad there is some sort of a viable alternative. I'll leave it at that as I think we have otherwise beaten this topic to death and I want this thread to stay focused on 2023 recruiting.

[roywhite]

I completely agree. Don't force people to go to college who absolutely don't want to be there. I'm glad there is some sort of a viable alternative. I'll leave it at that as I think we have otherwise beaten this topic to death and I want this thread to stay focused on 2023 recruiting.

Yeah, it's good there is an alternative path for athletes who don't see value in attending college, even for just a year.

I still wonder a bit whether the top recruits at least have made a general decision, along the lines of:

Yes, I want to go to college
No, I'm looking for a path to the pros only, and don't want to attend college.
Not sure -- check out the colleges and the developmental leagues, won't finally decide until late in the game.

[scottdude8]

I see additional opportunities for these young men as nothing but a good thing. There's obviously risk involved in choosing an upstart league, but as long as these young men are making informed decisions they should have every right to decide what's best for them and their future. Monopolies are rarely a good thing, and for a long time college basketball has had a monopoly on developing aspiring professional basketball players. Hopefully, increased competition will lead to improvements in the college game.

For those worried about the top talents not being in college, I'd ask: Did people's interest in the college game wane from 1995-2005, the approximate decade in which high schoolers turning pro was most prevalent? At least on this board I doubt it, considering the late 90s/early 00s was arguably one of the best periods in Duke basketball history. I think there will ALWAYS be a marketplace for slightly longer-term development of professional basketball prospects (see a guy like Chris Duarte, a lottery pick this year despite being 24 years old, and the many second and third year guys who end up in the first round each year), and thus a place for college basketball. If that means we have less Zion Williamson's and more Shane Battiers, it'll be a different game, but not necessarily a worse one, IMHO.

[JasonEvans]

Who's likely to have the best 2023 recruiting class?

Could well be Overtime Elite.

Has anyone figured out how Overtime Elite plans to make money? I know they are trying to get something like 20-30 guys to play together, which means they can form 3 or maybe 4 teams to play against each other. Is there some expectation that those games will be televised or streamed in a way that makes decent money for OTE? I really don't see it. It makes me think that OTE must be getting a piece of some of the player's future earnings. Perhaps OTE will represent the players in endorsement deals when they enter the NBA or something like that. I just don't see how OTE can afford to pay $500k+ to 20-30 kids per year without something like that.

Don't forget, OTE is not like the G League signing high school graduates who would otherwise head to college. OTE is increasingly signing guys who still have high school eligibility remaining.

[arnie]

Has anyone figured out how Overtime Elite plans to make money? I know they are trying to get something like 20-30 guys to play together, which means they can form 3 or maybe 4 teams to play against each other. Is there some expectation that those games will be televised or streamed in a way that makes decent money for OTE? I really don't see it. It makes me think that OTE must be getting a piece of some of the player's future earnings. Perhaps OTE will represent the players in endorsement deals when they enter the NBA or something like that. I just don't see how OTE can afford to pay $500k+ to 20-30 kids per year without something like that.

Don't forget, OTE is not like the G League signing high school graduates who would otherwise head to college. OTE is increasingly signing guys who still have high school eligibility remaining.
Agree, reminds me of USFL and WFL. Good salaries, but short term leagues. And I don’t think the top rated HS players should sign on with the league on future endorsement deals.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Has anyone figured out how Overtime Elite plans to make money? I know they are trying to get something like 20-30 guys to play together, which means they can form 3 or maybe 4 teams to play against each other. Is there some expectation that those games will be televised or streamed in a way that makes decent money for OTE? I really don't see it. It makes me think that OTE must be getting a piece of some of the player's future earnings. Perhaps OTE will represent the players in endorsement deals when they enter the NBA or something like that. I just don't see how OTE can afford to pay $500k+ to 20-30 kids per year without something like that.

Don't forget, OTE is not like the G League signing high school graduates who would otherwise head to college. OTE is increasingly signing guys who still have high school eligibility remaining.

My two cents are they are trying to get bought out by the NBA. It's a classic startup exit strategy. Exploit a market that is overlooked by a major competitor - in this case, the NBA only plans on having one G-League developmental team and no explicit expansion plans - and then fill that void in hopes the major player buys you out. With ~20 players signed, that's enough for 2 teams. There are only 28 G-League teams right now and they need 2 more so that each NBA team has a G-League affiliate. That's simple math in my mind.

[JasonEvans]

My two cents are they are trying to get bought out by the NBA. It's a classic startup exit strategy. Exploit a market that is overlooked by a major competitor - in this case, the NBA only plans on having one G-League developmental team and no explicit expansion plans - and then fill that void in hopes the major player buys you out. With ~20 players signed, that's enough for 2 teams. There are only 28 G-League teams right now and they need 2 more so that each NBA team has a G-League affiliate. That's simple math in my mind.

But what does OTE provide that the NBA cannot generate on their own by simply adding two more teams to the G-League? Why pay OTE some multi-million dollar acquisition fee? What is OTE going to do that would make their teams of value to the G-League/NBA?

Also, again, OTE is signing current high school juniors, not otherwise college bound players. Their player pool is different from the G-League. If the NBA truly wants to get into the basketball minor league game and begin paying high school juniors and seniors for 2 or more years before those players can enter the NBA draft, it is not like the OTE is standing in their way.

[Pghdukie]

Why would the NBA pay anything extra for a minor league affiliation when they are basically getting it for free.

[scottdude8]

Has anyone figured out how Overtime Elite plans to make money? I know they are trying to get something like 20-30 guys to play together, which means they can form 3 or maybe 4 teams to play against each other. Is there some expectation that those games will be televised or streamed in a way that makes decent money for OTE? I really don't see it. It makes me think that OTE must be getting a piece of some of the player's future earnings. Perhaps OTE will represent the players in endorsement deals when they enter the NBA or something like that. I just don't see how OTE can afford to pay $500k+ to 20-30 kids per year without something like that.

Don't forget, OTE is not like the G League signing high school graduates who would otherwise head to college. OTE is increasingly signing guys who still have high school eligibility remaining.

Well, according to this Forbes article (https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaellore/2021/03/04/overtime-launches-overtime-elite-a-basketball-league-that-pays-players-six-figure-salaries/?sh=47da06ac5542) the company "Overtime" is a "sports network geared towards the digital generation". So it seems likely that they expect to make some money from the digital broadcasts of these games and associated "content" from the players (i.e. social media stuff), and/or they view this as a way to advertise the "Overtime" platform (i.e. the league itself won't be designed to make a profit, but rather advertise Overtime... much like the "Disney Channel" doesn't have ads and thus doesn't directly make money, but instead has value through advertising Disney stuff to kids).

That said, I'm with you Jason that some kind of deal for future earnings seems like the most likely scenario... perhaps there are Overtime-affiliated agents that the players are committing to work with. If that's the case than this makes a bit more sense as an "investment" rather than a for-profit product: Overtime is not only securing future earnings from kids who have pro potential, but is working with them to maximize that potential via what they see as a superior development regiment than currently provided by high-schools/AAU. If that is the case, then this looks more like an above board version of the shady deals college athletes used to have with agents that would lead to NCAA investigations and whatnot.

[tommy]

Overtime Elite has signed 5-star prospect and rising HS junior Tyler Smith out of Texas.

In the article about it I read, it notes that OE prospects receive contracts at a minimum of $100K, NIL revenue, and "shares of equity in Overtime."

That could mean a lot of things, could be structured in a lot of ways, and these shares' value could be sold to the players and their families in lots of ways.

[Kedsy]

(i.e. the league itself won't be designed to make a profit, but rather advertise Overtime... much like the "Disney Channel" doesn't have ads and thus doesn't directly make money, but instead has value through advertising Disney stuff to kids).

Doesn't the Disney channel charge a monthly subscription fee to view its content? It does where I come from, anyway, which means it's very different from the business model you're suggesting.

[DavidBenAkiva]

But what does OTE provide that the NBA cannot generate on their own by simply adding two more teams to the G-League? Why pay OTE some multi-million dollar acquisition fee? What is OTE going to do that would make their teams of value to the G-League/NBA?

Also, again, OTE is signing current high school juniors, not otherwise college bound players. Their player pool is different from the G-League. If the NBA truly wants to get into the basketball minor league game and begin paying high school juniors and seniors for 2 or more years before those players can enter the NBA draft, it is not like the OTE is standing in their way.

Why did the NBA and ABA merge when the NBA could have just started new franchises? The owners of the ABA wanted to be part of the NBA. It takes more than just will to get professional teams going. It takes a financial investment. For the NBA, perhaps they don't want to make the up-front financial investment to launch a new team with new training facilities and intellectual property. Just my two cents.

[Kedsy]

Why did the NBA and ABA merge when the NBA could have just started new franchises?

The ABA teams had somewhat of an existing fan base, didn't they? (As well as a working organization, as you mention.) That alone would distinguish that situation from this one.

[budwom]

The ABA teams had somewhat of an existing fan base, didn't they? (As well as a working organization, as you mention.) That alone would distinguish that situation from this one.

And players under contract.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Kedsy and Budwon are making my argument. I've never said this was a short-term thing. The exit strategy seems to be to have a few teams, established fans (online or in-person), and players under contract. That's like a 5-10 year timeframe.

[scottdude8]

Doesn't the Disney channel charge a monthly subscription fee to view its content? It does where I come from, anyway, which means it's very different from the business model you're suggesting.

Well, technically Disney makes money because cable providers pay the channel a small fee for each person who gets it... much like how ESPN makes a lot of its money, and why which channels are in which "packages" is such a big deal. But back home in Michigan the Disney channel was one of the basic channels in most Comcast subscriptions, meaning you weren't paying an extra monthly fee for its content.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Well, technically Disney makes money because cable providers pay the channel a small fee for each person who gets it... much like how ESPN makes a lot of its money, and why which channels are in which "packages" is such a big deal. But back home in Michigan the Disney channel was one of the basic channels in most Comcast subscriptions, meaning you weren't paying an extra monthly fee for its content.

There's now "Disney Channel" which is what you are describing (it has ads), and "Disney Plus" which is a streaming service where you pay an extra fee of about $12-13 a month - I think it gets bundled with ESPN Plus and Hulu - I am finding it increasingly difficult to keep track of all of these add-ons but this one I actually get.

As I understand it, OTE makes a lot of money making highlight clips of players. So these players they are signing will help them to generate content that they can monetize. The question is who will these players be playing when they are generating this content? I'm sure there is also an aspect of signing away a portion of future earnings. There are a lot of smart people and/or big names involved (Durant, Bezos, Drake, Andreessen Horowitz, David Stern was involved) so I'm guessing there is a strategy and they aren't just throwing stuff at the wall and hoping for the best.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled recruiting discussion...

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

And players under contract.

ABA players at the time of the 1976 merger with the NBA included Dr J, George Gervin, Moses Malone, Maurice Lucas, David Thompson, Dan Issel, and Artis Gilmore.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Is Bronnie class of ‘23? What’s doing with him and does K being retired then change his decision?

[JasonEvans]

Is Bronnie class of ‘23? What’s doing with him and does K being retired then change his decision?

Yes, he is class of 2023. He is a wing and is considered one of the top 25 or so players in the class.

As for the second part of your question, regarding K, I don't think anyone knows how this will affect Bronny's decision. Most seemed to think that K had a good shot at Bronny because he has a good relationship with Lebron. But, Calipari and other prominent college coaches also have a good relationship with Lebron and Bronny. Scheyer was an assistant on the 2016 Olympic team so he certainly got to know Lebron a bit at that time.

Bronny is somewhat unique in that he is already super famous and probably looking at tremendous NIL income prior to a potential NBA career. But he is also someone who would draw eyeballs to Overtime Elite or G-League teams. Of course, money probably matters less to him than to any major recruit in history (not many top tier recruits have a father who is a billionaire). The most important thing is going to be who can give Bronny the instruction and opportunities to develop him into the best player he can be. I suspect Scheyer (with K in the wings) will be in the game but it is too early to really tell.

[arnie]

ABA players at the time of the 1976 merger with the NBA included Dr J, George Gervin, Moses Malone, Maurice Lucas, David Thompson, Dan Issel, and Artis Gilmore.

You left out Randy Denton😀

[DavidBenAkiva]

Yes, he is class of 2023. He is a wing and is considered one of the top 25 or so players in the class.

As for the second part of your question, regarding K, I don't think anyone knows how this will affect Bronny's decision. Most seemed to think that K had a good shot at Bronny because he has a good relationship with Lebron. But, Calipari and other prominent college coaches also have a good relationship with Lebron and Bronny. Scheyer was an assistant on the 2016 Olympic team so he certainly got to know Lebron a bit at that time.

Bronny is somewhat unique in that he is already super famous and probably looking at tremendous NIL income prior to a potential NBA career. But he is also someone who would draw eyeballs to Overtime Elite or G-League teams. Of course, money probably matters less to him than to any major recruit in history (not many top tier recruits have a father who is a billionaire). The most important thing is going to be who can give Bronny the instruction and opportunities to develop him into the best player he can be. I suspect Scheyer (with K in the wings) will be in the game but it is too early to really tell.

It's probable that Scheyer and James have crossed paths at some point, but it wasn't during the 2016 Olympics. LeBron was on the 2008 and 2012 teams but was not part of the 2016 team. James and the Cavaliers had just won the NBA Finals over the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team

[mkirsh]

Is Bronnie class of ‘23? What’s doing with him and does K being retired then change his decision?

Just like Bagley asked Duke to “un retire” #35 for him, maybe Bronny will have K un retire to coach him for a year. (if not obvious, this is a joke)

[Spanarkel]

In 2020, Coach Scheyer was named the HC for the US basketball entry in the 2022 World Maccabiah Games from 7/14-25/22 at several sites in Israel.

Any speculation as to how this commitment could potentially affect Duke's recruiting, mostly for 2023(/24)?

Thank you!

[hallcity]

In 2020, Coach Scheyer was named the HC for the US basketball entry in the 2022 World Maccabiah Games from 7/14-25/22 at several sites in Israel.

Any speculation as to how this commitment could potentially affect Duke's recruiting, mostly for 2023(/24)?

Thank you!

Duke basketball is eligible to take a foreign trip again next summer. Coaching a few exhibition games during the summer might be a good idea for a new head coach. I don't know whether Jon's Maccabiah commitment makes it more or less likely that the team takes a foreign trip. Maybe the Maccabiah commitment takes too much time. Maybe a team trip could be piggybacked on the Maccabiah games somehow.

Of course, everything is dependent upon the pandemic.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Usually these are posted well ahead of time. For Mackenzie Mgbako, one of the top players in the Class of 2023, he just showed up at Duke on an official visit. Astute Duke fans on social media noticed this when Mgbako, a 6'7" SF many consider to be one of the top 5 players in his class, posted a grainy photo from Duke's campus. Andrew Slater later confirmed that the New Jersey native is indeed on campus. At this point, it appears that HCIW Scheyer and the Duke staff are in very good shape with both Mgbako and fellow NJ native Caleb Foster.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1433627962046287879

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-VFCDQWYAAfjKQ?format=jpg&name=900x900

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Usually these are posted well ahead of time. For Mackenzie Mgbako, one of the top players in the Class of 2023, he just showed up at Duke on an official visit. Astute Duke fans on social media noticed this when Mgbako, a 6'7" SF many consider to be one of the top 5 players in his class, posted a grainy photo from Duke's campus. Andrew Slater later confirmed that the New Jersey native is indeed on campus. At this point, it appears that HCIW Scheyer and the Duke staff are in very good shape with both Mgbako and fellow NJ native Caleb Foster.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1433627962046287879

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-VFCDQWYAAfjKQ?format=jpg&name=900x900

Great! Hope he signs up with us! http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

How does he pronounce his last name? I'd like to get it right without guessing :)

[MChambers]

Nice of him to pose in front of cinder blocks!

[Phredd3]

Usually these are posted well ahead of time. For Mackenzie Mgbako, one of the top players in the Class of 2023, he just showed up at Duke on an official visit. Astute Duke fans on social media noticed this when Mgbako, a 6'7" SF many consider to be one of the top 5 players in his class, posted a grainy photo from Duke's campus. Andrew Slater later confirmed that the New Jersey native is indeed on campus. At this point, it appears that HCIW Scheyer and the Duke staff are in very good shape with both Mgbako and fellow NJ native Caleb Foster.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1433627962046287879

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-VFCDQWYAAfjKQ?format=jpg&name=900x900

Look at those cinder blocks. He's gonna fit right in!

[DavidBenAkiva]

Great! Hope he signs up with us! http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

How does he pronounce his last name? I'd like to get it right without guessing :)

My understanding is that his name is pronounced with a silent "g" and the emphasis on the second syllable, like "mh-BAH-koh". It is a name of Nigerian decent, I believe.

[Billy Dat]

In Scheyer we trust. The combination of a really young staff with a blue blood program is a bit unprecedented in the current era. It's off to a great start.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

My understanding is that his name is pronounced with a silent "g" and the emphasis on the second syllable, like "mh-BAH-koh". It is a name of Nigerian decent, I believe.

Thanks. Can't wait for announcers to botch it... http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[DavidBenAkiva]

I had no idea when I posted the last Andrew Slater tweet that Caleb Foster would also be on Duke's campus for an official visit. Wowza, what a week for HCIW Scheyer and staff. Might Duke start off the Class of 2023 with a double-bang?

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1433853764117671942

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-YSZcEXoAwbDXZ?format=jpg&name=900x900

[tommy]

Is Bronnie class of ‘23? What’s doing with him and does K being retired then change his decision?

Who knows about his decision? But yes he's Class of '23. He's going to be on a loaded Sierra Canyon team this year, where he won't be anywhere close to the best player or the #1 option. I'm planning on seeing them play again this year and look forward to see how he has improved since I last saw him two years ago.

[JasonEvans]

Who knows about his decision? But yes he's Class of '23. He's going to be on a loaded Sierra Canyon team this year, where he won't be anywhere close to the best player or the #1 option. I'm planning on seeing them play again this year and look forward to see how he has improved since I last saw him two years ago.

So "loaded" doesn't even begin to describe this roster.

Bronnie is a junior and will be playing with the following seniors -- Amari Bailey (#1 player in the 247 rankings for 2022), Kijani Wright (#20), Ramel Lloyd (#83), Max Allen (#221), and Shy Odom (#224)

Umm, that's ridiculous.

Of course, it has nothing on IMG Academy, which has these guys from the class of 2022 -- Keyonte George (#3), Jarase Walker (#8), Jaden Bradley (#14), Eric Dailey (#34), Jett Howard (#36), Justin Taylor (#63), AJ Storr (#78), and Noah Batchelor (#160).

There's a pretty good argument that if you took the IMG roster and just put it on a college team the next year, you'd have a real national title contender.

[JasonEvans]

It would appear the Mgbako visit is going well so far...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-Xz4yuXMAEN8GS?format=jpg&name=medium

[dukelifer]

It would appear the Mgbako visit is going well so far...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E-Xz4yuXMAEN8GS?format=jpg&name=medium

I like that the highlights of this kid is him taking jumpers. Looks like a really good athlete and player.

[budwom]

Interesting to read guys like Mgbako refer to our former stars like Zion. For top recruits these days, perhaps they're more impressed by notable recent alums than by national titles? Why not join the club...

[dukelifer]

Interesting to read guys like Mgbako refer to our former stars like Zion. For top recruits these days, perhaps they're more impressed by notable recent alums than by national titles? Why not join the club...

The “brotherhood” is the best college branding ever. Not sure who came up with that.

[DavidBenAkiva]

The “brotherhood” is the best college branding ever. Not sure who came up with that.

I believe that was Jeff Capel

[DoubleBlue]

The “brotherhood” is the best college branding ever. Not sure who came up with that.

I believe it was around 2016 when the Brotherhood became a brand, but it resonated with former Duke players going back to pre-K - Gminski, Banks, Dennard. It was used first for the class of 2017 - Bagley, Carter, Trent, Duval and then Kyrie Irving who was already in the NBA, popularized the term. Zion used the term in his 2018 annoucement for selecting Duke and the rest is history. The Brotherhood was solidified by the annual Coach K Academies as a showcase for past and present players to congregate and share their common experiences.

[Spanarkel]

Coach Scheyer and one assistant were in LaPorte, IN yesterday to watch 6'2" PG Jeremy Fears(2023/Joliet, IL now playing at LaLumiere).

[Spanarkel]

Re: Jeremy Fears(2023)
https://twitter.com/daily_hoosier/status/1435966006413955072?s=20

[DavidBenAkiva]

Re: Jeremy Fears(2023)
https://twitter.com/daily_hoosier/status/1435966006413955072?s=20

La Lumiere is also the home of Class of 2022 G JJ Starling. I'm pretty sure the Duke staff were there to watch Starling. Starling is a combo guard that plays both on and off the ball. With Duke looking like they are a lock to get their top PG prospect in Caleb Foster, and already having Jaylen Blakes as a freshman and the possibility that Jeremy Roach could also be in the mix as a senior, I seriously doubt Duke was taking a hard look at Fears. La Lumiere has a ton of high-major D1 prospects on its team. I guess it couldn't hurt to scout the whole roster just in case.

[Neals384]

My understanding is that his name is pronounced with a silent "g" and the emphasis on the second syllable, like "mh-BAH-koh". It is a name of Nigerian decent, I believe.

Can hardly wait for the post "Welcome to Duke, Silent G II"

[DevilYouKnow]

I believe it was around 2016 when the Brotherhood became a brand, but it resonated with former Duke players going back to pre-K - Gminski, Banks, Dennard. It was used first for the class of 2017 - Bagley, Carter, Trent, Duval and then Kyrie Irving who was already in the NBA, popularized the term. Zion used the term in his 2018 annoucement for selecting Duke and the rest is history. The Brotherhood was solidified by the annual Coach K Academies as a showcase for past and present players to congregate and share their common experiences.

Carolina's version, "The Family" sounds like a Mansonesque cult.

[TywinBlue]

Carolina's version, "The Family" sounds like a Mansonesque cult.

The Adams Family ?

The Manson Family ?

The Gambino Family ?

The Family Circus ?

[jaywilliams22]

We're up to 5 total predictions for Mackenzie Mgbako (#6 in 2023) between 24/7 and Crystal Ball predictions.

https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Basketball/TargetPredictions/

[JasonEvans]

We're up to 5 total predictions for Mackenzie Mgbako (#6 in 2023) between 24/7 and Crystal Ball predictions.

https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Basketball/TargetPredictions/

We also have a slew of predictions, including a recent one from a NC State guru who picked us with a confidence of 9, for PG Caleb Foster, who is rated as the #12 prospect in the class. Mgbako is the #6 prospect in 2023. Duke is also considered the early favorite for wing Bronny James, who is ranked #26.

By the way, Bronny is an interesting case as I suspect the pro outfits won't have much appeal because Bronny obviously does not need money and knows that "building his brand" is really important and that will be better accomplished by attending a high-profile college program than playing for the G-League or Overtime Elite. Plus, I suspect the NIL opportunities for Bronny are going to be unlike anything we have seen thus far.

-Jason "are the top top players going to be drawn to play with Bronny, basking in the spotlight he will bring, or will they shy away because they want to be seen at the biggest draw on their own team? Will be interesting to see how that plays out" Evans

[DavidBenAkiva]

We also have a slew of predictions, including a recent one from a NC State guru who picked us with a confidence of 9, for PG Caleb Foster, who is rated as the #12 prospect in the class. Mgbako is the #6 prospect in 2023. Duke is also considered the early favorite for wing Bronny James, who is ranked #26.

By the way, Bronny is an interesting case as I suspect the pro outfits won't have much appeal because Bronny obviously does not need money and knows that "building his brand" is really important and that will be better accomplished by attending a high-profile college program than playing for the G-League or Overtime Elite. Plus, I suspect the NIL opportunities for Bronny are going to be unlike anything we have seen thus far.

-Jason "are the top top players going to be drawn to play with Bronny, basking in the spotlight he will bring, or will they shy away because they want to be seen at the biggest draw on their own team? Will be interesting to see how that plays out" Evans

Is Duke still considered a favorite for Bronny? There was one crystal ball pick for Duke on 247Sports, but that was way back in November 2018. Obviously, there's a connection between LeBron and Coach K from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. But Coach K isn't going to be the head guy if and when Bronny goes to college. There hasn't been any indication that HCIW Scheyer or the staff have made an attempt to see Bronny over the summer when he was at Peach Jam. They have extended offers to several players in the Class of 2023, but not Bronny. I wonder if there's still a connection there.

[907bluedevils]

Caleb Foster just committed to Duke.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1438631311460257792?s=20

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Caleb Foster just committed to Duke.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1438631311460257792?s=20

Holy smokes.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Not one to just sit around and bask in the glory of his early returns, HCIW Jon Scheyer will be heading up to New Hampshire this week to check on 6'9" PG/SG/W/Unicorn Mata Buzelis. Jake Weingarten reports Illinois and UNC are there today with Scheyer in town tomorrow. The Lithuanian-born player is stateside and receiving a ton of interest. He's very skinny, at around 175 lbs. He looks like he has the body of Shaun Livingston, although the jumper looks a lot more reliable. Buzelis is getting a lot of high-major offers already. Will Duke be able to keep it rolling?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvU-uPC5Xk

[907bluedevils]

I'm big on Canadian Elijah Fisher, I think if he was stateside he would be in the talks for the top spot in 2023. Any word if we are showing interest?

[budwom]

Worries me that our head coach is in New Hamster, but Wolfeboro is a nice place if he can get in and out of there quickly:cool:

[Billy Dat]

Not one to just sit around and bask in the glory of his early returns, HCIW Jon Scheyer will be heading up to New Hampshire this week to check on 6'9" PG/SG/W/Unicorn Mata Buzelis. Jake Weingarten reports Illinois and UNC are there today with Scheyer in town tomorrow. The Lithuanian-born player is stateside and receiving a ton of interest. He's very skinny, at around 175 lbs. He looks like he has the body of Shaun Livingston, although the jumper looks a lot more reliable. Buzelis is getting a lot of high-major offers already. Will Duke be able to keep it rolling?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuvU-uPC5Xk

As you say, there is a lot of interest. Just saw that Cal was up to see him, too, and he's got offers from Florida State, Wake Forest, Kansas, UCLA, Arizona, Illinois and Syracuse.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Worries me that our head coach is in New Hamster, but Wolfeboro is a nice place if he can get in and out of there quickly:cool:

Brewster Academy is beautiful. And it's a 2 min walk from Wolfeboro.

Count me in the camp who loves New England but isn't a fan of NH. Gimme VT or ME any day of the week.

[budwom]

Brewster Academy is beautiful. And it's a 2 min walk from Wolfeboro.

Count me in the camp who loves New England but isn't a fan of NH. Gimme VT or ME any day of the week.

attaboy, you are my new best friend.

[flyingdutchdevil]

attaboy, you are my new best friend.

Comes down to food and beer. Portland ME arguably has the best food in New England. The whole state of Vermont has great food.

And beer? (VT + ME) < remainder of the US

Just my two cents...and I know I'll get plenty of feedback for that beer comment ;)

[vfefrenzy]

And beer? (VT + ME) < remainder of the US

I assume you meant VT+ME>The other 48, which I can't say I agree on, but I am going to New England in 2 weeks to research.

[Nepos]

Comes down to food and beer. Portland ME arguably has the best food in New England. The whole state of Vermont has great food.

And beer? (VT + ME) < remainder of the US

Just my two cents...and I know I'll get plenty of feedback for that beer comment ;)

I think if your equation was VT+ME+MA>the pick of any three other states, then I'd say you have a reasonable argument.

[GGLC]

I think if your equation was VT+ME+MA>the pick of any three other states, then I'd say you have a reasonable argument.

Oregon, Colorado, and California would like a word.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I think if your equation was VT+ME+MA>the pick of any three other states, then I'd say you have a reasonable argument.

Trillium, Jack's Abby, Tree House, etc?

Yeah, I'm spoiled.

[Nepos]

Oregon, Colorado, and California would like a word.

And your three would win my vote. New England's big three would be competitive though.

[scottdude8]

Good news on Mgbako from behind enemy lines at mgoblog (https://mgoblog.com/content/hoops-recruiting-bringing-friends#read-more):


The final offer went out to 5-star wing Mackenzie Mgbako of Gill St. Bernard (NJ). An elite shooter at around 6'8, he's widely considered a Duke lock. Don't get you hopes up here.

[DavidBenAkiva]

247Sports' Dushawn London (https://twitter.com/DushawnLondon1/status/1447917288372506627) is reporting that the coaching staff will be in New Hampshire today to take in a pair of top targets, G/F Matas Buzelis and 5* SF Taylor Bol Bowen.

Bowen is a new name on the Duke radar. He's a 6'7-8" forward from Vermont, playing for Brewster Academy. He's long and athletic and with a good-looking outside touch. Kind of an ideal big wing a la Ingram/Tatum (in body type if not quite overall talent and skill level).

[budwom]

247Sports' Dushawn London (https://twitter.com/DushawnLondon1/status/1447917288372506627) is reporting that the coaching staff will be in New Hampshire today to take in a pair of top targets, G/F Matas Buzelis and 5* SF Taylor Bol Bowen.

Bowen is a new name on the Duke radar. He's a 6'7-8" forward from Vermont, playing for Brewster Academy. He's long and athletic and with a good-looking outside touch. Kind of an ideal big wing a la Ingram/Tatum (in body type if not quite overall talent and skill level).

Ha, yes I see sources that say he's from Jericho VT which is next door to where I live, but no one up here has ever heard of him...nonetheless, he sounds like a good prospect at a good hoop school...

[DevilYouKnow]

I assume you meant VT+ME>The other 48, which I can't say I agree on, but I am going to New England in 2 weeks to research.

States with nine month long winters stuck inside have the inside track on beer production.

[budwom]

States with nine month long winters stuck inside have the inside track on beer production.

States, and countries as well.

[DavidBenAkiva]

247Sports just released its new player rankings for the Class of 2023 (https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Basketball/RecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool).

At this early junction, Caleb Foster is the only player ranked inside the top 73 that has committed. The primary targets that have emerged for Duke have all received a bump in their recruiting rankings, some by significant margins.

SF Mackenzie Mgbako up to #3 (+10) Received an offer
G/F Matas Buzelis up to #4 (+39)
F/C GG Jackson up to #8 (+23) Received an offer
PG Caleb Foster up to #12 (+7) Committed to Duke
SF Taylor Bowen up to #21 (+4)

[flyingdutchdevil]

247Sports just released its new player rankings for the Class of 2023 (https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Basketball/RecruitRankings/?InstitutionGroup=HighSchool).

At this early junction, Caleb Foster is the only player ranked inside the top 73 that has committed. The primary targets that have emerged for Duke have all received a bump in their recruiting rankings, some by significant margins.

SF Mackenzie Mgbako up to #3 (+10) Received an offer
G/F Matas Buzelis up to #4 (+39)
F/C GG Jackson up to #8 (+23) Received an offer
PG Caleb Foster up to #12 (+7) Committed to Duke
SF Taylor Bowen up to #21 (+4)

Bronny James down to #52 (-25)

Sometimes, the apple does fall far from the tree...

[DavidBenAkiva]

Bronny James down to #52 (-25)

Sometimes, the apple does fall far from the tree...

I think he's a higher-ranked and better overall prospect than either of MJ's kids. He has a shot at making a professional career of basketball if he wants it.

[JasonEvans]

Bronny James down to #52 (-25)

Sometimes, the apple does fall far from the tree...

Depends on your definition of "far." It would appear the son is a great basketball player, one of the top 50 or so in his age group among the millions who play basketball in high school. He is far better at basketball than anyone on this board has ever been in our wildest dreams. But, he is not one of the all-time greats at the game like his father is. He is closer to his father's level of greatness than 99.9% of the folks who dribble a ball... but that last tenth of a percent is a heck of a long way to travel.

It is sorta like Charles Edison, a wonderfully accomplished man who was an accomplished businessman, Secretary of the Navy, and Governor of New Jersey... but didn't have nearly the impact on the world that his father, Thomas Edison, did.

-Jason "the book on Bronny isn't finished being written yet either... would not take much for him to develop into a NBA-level hoops player" Evans

[camion]

Depends on your definition of "far." It would appear the son is a great basketball player, one of the top 50 or so in his age group among the millions who play basketball in high school. He is far better at basketball than anyone on this board has ever been in our wildest dreams. But, he is not one of the all-time greats at the game like his father is. He is closer to his father's level of greatness than 99.9% of the folks who dribble a ball... but that last tenth of a percent is a heck of a long way to travel.

It is sorta like Charles Edison, a wonderfully accomplished man who was an accomplished businessman, Secretary of the Navy, and Governor of New Jersey... but didn't have nearly the impact on the world that his father, Thomas Edison, did.

-Jason "the book on Bronny isn't finished being written yet either... would not take much for him to develop into a NBA-level hoops player" Evans

Now hold on there, I'm pretty darned impressive in my wildest dreams. :cool:




Oh, wait. My wildest dreams aren't about basketball. :confused:


Never mind. :o

[dukelifer]

Depends on your definition of "far." It would appear the son is a great basketball player, one of the top 50 or so in his age group among the millions who play basketball in high school. He is far better at basketball than anyone on this board has ever been in our wildest dreams. But, he is not one of the all-time greats at the game like his father is. He is closer to his father's level of greatness than 99.9% of the folks who dribble a ball... but that last tenth of a percent is a heck of a long way to travel.

It is sorta like Charles Edison, a wonderfully accomplished man who was an accomplished businessman, Secretary of the Navy, and Governor of New Jersey... but didn't have nearly the impact on the world that his father, Thomas Edison, did.

-Jason "the book on Bronny isn't finished being written yet either... would not take much for him to develop into a NBA-level hoops player" Evans

We will see if he grows. Dad has a bunch of inches and lbs on the son- those matter at the next level.

[CrazieDUMB]

Depends on your definition of "far." It would appear the son is a great basketball player, one of the top 50 or so in his age group among the millions who play basketball in high school. He is far better at basketball than anyone on this board has ever been in our wildest dreams. But, he is not one of the all-time greats at the game like his father is. He is closer to his father's level of greatness than 99.9% of the folks who dribble a ball... but that last tenth of a percent is a heck of a long way to travel.


Reminds of the time Brian Scalabrine responded to a heckler with "I'm a lot closer to LeBron than you are to me."

[FerryFor50]

Reminds of the time Brian Scalabrine responded to a heckler with "I'm a lot closer to LeBron than you are to me."

Scalabrine proved it, too

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/01/22/toucher-richs-scallenge-no-challenge-for-brian-scalabrine/

[burnspbesq]

The Anthony Black business that is discussed on the front page is distressingly familiar to Texans. The UIL has a long and sordid history of denying perfectly reasonable transfer requests for thoroughly specious reasons. Just ask dormer Duke player Kyra Lambert, who was forced to sit out a year after transferring to a school with an IB program from one without it.

Somebody needs to litigate one of these.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Recruiting person Andrew Slater is reporting that Brewster NH teammates Taylor Bol Bowen and Matas Buzelis have both received offers from HCIW Jon Scheyer and the Duke coaching staff.

Buzelis recently shot up the recruiting rankings and is now #4 in the 247Sports rankings. He's a multi-dimensional player that play and defend at least 1-4 if not all 5 positions. Bowen is a versatile forward with length, a good-looking jumper, and a high skillset.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1451340952501694467

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCQy5OUXEAMfiar?format=jpg&name=900x900

[kAzE]

Recruiting person Andrew Slater is reporting that Brewster NH teammates Taylor Bol Bowen and Matas Buzelis have both received offers from HCIW Jon Scheyer and the Duke coaching staff.

Buzelis recently shot up the recruiting rankings and is now #4 in the 247Sports rankings. He's a multi-dimensional player that play and defend at least 1-4 if not all 5 positions. Bowen is a versatile forward with length, a good-looking jumper, and a high skillset.

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1451340952501694467

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCQy5OUXEAMfiar?format=jpg&name=900x900

These pics make them look like middle schoolers. But I just looked them up and they are 6'9" and 6'10". Sheesh.

[fidel]

https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1451340952501694467

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCQy5OUXEAMfiar?format=jpg&name=900x900


Bricks? BRICKS??? Is that like metric?

[CDu]

Buzelis is considered a Toni Kukoc style of player. A 6'10" player with purely guard skills. The knocks on him are that he's REALLY skinny, and his shooting form underutilizes his height/length. He shoots from his chest, a really low release point that allows smaller players to contest. Basically the opposite of Matthew Hurt's shooting style.

Bowen is more of a true forward, who is also really lanky at 6'9". He's slightly less skinny than Buzelis, and far less skilled with the ball in his hands. Interestingly, he too has a really low release point on his shot. It's clear why Buzelis is rated higher given his skill set at that height. Not that Bowen is a bad prospect of course; he's still a 5-star guy. Just more of a top-25 guy than a top-5 guy.

Obviously it would be nice to get one or both of these guys. And I'm sure each will fill out a decent amount in the next 1.5 years before arriving on a college campus.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Buzelis is considered a Toni Kukoc style of player. A 6'10" player with purely guard skills. The knocks on him are that he's REALLY skinny, and his shooting form underutilizes his height/length. He shoots from his chest, a really low release point that allows smaller players to contest. Basically the opposite of Matthew Hurt's shooting style.

Bowen is more of a true forward, who is also really lanky at 6'9". He's slightly less skinny than Buzelis, and far less skilled with the ball in his hands. Interestingly, he too has a really low release point on his shot. It's clear why Buzelis is rated higher given his skill set at that height. Not that Bowen is a bad prospect of course; he's still a 5-star guy. Just more of a top-25 guy than a top-5 guy.

Obviously it would be nice to get one or both of these guys. And I'm sure each will fill out a decent amount in the next 1.5 years before arriving on a college campus.

If only we knew someone who could "coach them up" and work with them like he did with Matthew Hurt between his freshman season, when he too had a low release point, and sophomore year when he didn't.http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[CDu]

If only we knew someone who could "coach them up" and work with them like he did with Matthew Hurt between his freshman season, when he too had a low release point, and sophomore year when he didn't.http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

Hurt came to Duke with a high release point. That isn't something the Duke coaches taught him.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Hurt came to Duke with a high release point. That isn't something the Duke coaches taught him.
Mea cupla. My misremembering. http://www.crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/devil9f.gif

[budwom]

Hurt also came and went with a slow release.

[Phredd3]

Hurt also came and went with a slow release.

Despite many, many DBR posts to the contrary. ;)

[Pghdukie]

Any news on Gregory Jackson's recruiting ? Duke offered but I haven't seen any movement for or against a commitment.

[CDu]

Any news on Gregory Jackson's recruiting ? Duke offered but I haven't seen any movement for or against a commitment.

What I've seen from a few recruiting "experts" is that he appears to be a UNC lean.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Class of 2023 Sean Stewart, a bouncy 6'8" forward from Windmere, Florida, will be making an official visit to Duke the first weekend of November according to Joe Tipton. Stewart is considered a top 25-50 ish player and is part of the Each 1 Teach 1 AAU program. I couldn't find a ton of information out there about Stewart, but I did see him in this highlight video below (#15 in white). Stewart has recently completed official visits to Georgetown, Michigan, and Ohio State and may have also visited Harvard and/or Stanford. The family appears to value education.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s00deRCEbQg

[tommy]

Class of 2023 Sean Stewart, a bouncy 6'8" forward from Windmere, Florida, will be making an official visit to Duke the first weekend of November according to Joe Tipton. Stewart is considered a top 25-50 ish player and is part of the Each 1 Teach 1 AAU program. I couldn't find a ton of information out there about Stewart, but I did see him in this highlight video below (#15 in white). Stewart has recently completed official visits to Georgetown, Michigan, and Ohio State and may have also visited Harvard and/or Stanford. The family appears to value education.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s00deRCEbQg

We successfully recruited one prior player (that I recall offhand) off of Each 1 Teach 1. That worked out kinda well . . . :)

[DoubleBlue]

We successfully recruited one prior player (that I recall offhand) off of Each 1 Teach 1. That worked out kinda well . . . :)

... who turned out to be a real Tar Heel killer!

[tommy]

Team Durant Director of Recruiting reporting that Coaches Scheyer and Smith are in today to visit with 6'9" 5-star KJ Evans of Monteverde Academy. Kentucky is definitely in the mix with him as well. Here's hoping another Team Durant player named Dariq Whitehead can help with this one . . .

[heyman25]

Hope we still have a chance with Gregory Jackson from South Carolina. He sounds like a potential Elton Brand Karl Malone power forward. He will likely add weight in the next 2 years.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2023/greg-jackson-270348

[DavidBenAkiva]

Hope we still have a chance with Gregory Jackson from South Carolina. He sounds like a potential Elton Brand Karl Malone power forward. He will likely add weight in the next 2 years.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2023/greg-jackson-270348

Word on the street is that Jackson is a very strong UNC lean. His dad is a big Tar Heel fan from interviews I have read.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Team Durant Director of Recruiting reporting that Coaches Scheyer and Smith are in today to visit with 6'9" 5-star KJ Evans of Monteverde Academy. Kentucky is definitely in the mix with him as well. Here's hoping another Team Durant player named Dariq Whitehead can help with this one . . .

Interesting development. Evans is a very talented player. He's 6'9" with looooooooong arms and can really shoot it, too with good handles and passing vision. He's a versatile prospect, which is kind of the main thing HCIW Jon Scheyer (and all of basketball, for that matter) is after right now. I think he projects as a 3/4 type a la Luol Deng or Brandon Ingram.

[CameronDuke]

A 6’2”, 175 lb shooting guard from Corona, CA.

A 4 star recruit on ESPN and ranked 29th in the class of 2023 top 60.

Offers from:

Duke, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Louisville, Loyola Marymount, New Mexico, San Diego State, Stanford, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Southern Cal, and Washington.

[DavidBenAkiva]

A 6’2”, 175 lb shooting guard from Corona, CA.

A 4 star recruit on ESPN and ranked 29th in the class of 2023 top 60.

Offers from:

Duke, Eastern Washington, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Louisville, Loyola Marymount, New Mexico, San Diego State, Stanford, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Southern Cal, and Washington.

Recent offers from Gonzaga and now Duke. Interesting. Can't say that I know a whole lot about him, but have read that he's one of the better shooters in the Class of 2023. With Caleb Foster at PG and 6'5", the team can afford to have a shorter SG type if he's quick enough to defend smaller guards. I also like the idea of adding more shooting if the coaching staff is going after versatile forwards like Buzelis, Mgbako, and Evans that can all handle and pass the ball at a high level. Space the floor for them.

[tommy]

Interesting development. Evans is a very talented player. He's 6'9" with looooooooong arms and can really shoot it, too with good handles and passing vision. He's a versatile prospect, which is kind of the main thing HCIW Jon Scheyer (and all of basketball, for that matter) is after right now. I think he projects as a 3/4 type a la Luol Deng or Brandon Ingram.

Well he is a top 5 in the nation recruit at this point, so we shouldn't be surprised he's a player of interest to us. But yeah, skinny like Brandon Ingram at this point.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Well he is a top 5 in the nation recruit at this point, so we shouldn't be surprised he's a player of interest to us. But yeah, skinny like Brandon Ingram at this point.

I guess it was surprising to me on account of the other players the coaching staff have offered, including GG Jackson, Mackenzie Mgbako, Matas Buzelis, and Taylor Bol Bowen. These are all players that could be described as tall, lanky forwards that could play either forward position (or guard position in the case of Buzelis). KJ Evans is yet another player of this type, a multi-position player. If the Jackson ship has sailed, it makes sense that the coaching staff would pivot to Evans. Maybe they found out that interest between Duke and Evans was mutual?

[DavidBenAkiva]

Jake Weingarten had an interview with Jared McCain, which touched on the Duke offer. He says a number of good things about Duke, wants to schedule a visit soon, and notes that he's in contact with Caleb Foster about teaming up in the Class of 2023. Good stuff here from a Duke perspective.


Discuss your Duke offer, your thoughts, and their pitch?

“They were super cool, and I loved how three of the coaches got involved with me. Coach Scheyer FaceTimed me and he was just telling me about Duke and how he feels it would fit perfectly for me. He was saying how he’s going to be upfront and honest with me about everything and he wants me to do the same with him, which was great because that’s what I want in a coach. But they all were just excited about me and talked about me and Caleb Foster being the backcourt for the 2023 class.”

https://stockrisers.com/s/406/five-star-junior-jared-mccain-talks-recruitment-new-duke-offer

[brevity]

Coach Scheyer FaceTimed me and he was just telling me about Duke and how he feels it would fit perfectly for me.

Reading "Scheyer Face" in that context just sounds weird. People in comas since 2010 would be very confused. "He's COACH Scheyer Face now? And what did he time this recruit doing?"

[kAzE]

Jake Weingarten had an interview with Jared McCain, which touched on the Duke offer. He says a number of good things about Duke, wants to schedule a visit soon, and notes that he's in contact with Caleb Foster about teaming up in the Class of 2023. Good stuff here from a Duke perspective.



https://stockrisers.com/s/406/five-star-junior-jared-mccain-talks-recruitment-new-duke-offer

We only have 1 and half recruiting classes of data thus far, but I am very happy with the approach that Coach Scheyer appears to be taking with regards to recruiting. First, he goes after the top end guys who are no brainer OAD lottery picks (e.g. Dereck Lively). That's #1, and is pretty much in line with Coach K's recruiting.

But where he seems to have a slightly different strategy is the 2nd and 3rd tier guys he goes after, guys like Jared McCain, Jaden Schutt, and (although we didn't land him) JJ Starling. I think it's pretty clear after the lottery talent, Scheyer really targets the best shooters in the class, without too much regard to their perceived rankings. I agree with this approach. Shooting has to be the #2 priority. You can have all the NBA talent in the world, but without shooters to space the floor around them, things become more difficult than they need to be. Not that I am criticizing Coach K's recruiting. He's obviously been at the top of the college game in terms of recruiting for nearly the entirety of the last 30 years. But can you imagine what the 2019 team could have been if we had just 1 rotation player who could hit 40% from 3? There's no way to say for sure, but I can certainly imagine RJ and Zion having more space in the paint if that were the case.

It's not that Coach didn't go after shooters. He certainly did, but some things were just out of his control. What if the 2018 team with Bagley and Carter had Luke Kennard? That would have changed everything, but Kennard went pro the year prior. Scheyer appears to be targeting shooters who are projected to be guys who stay in school for a few years. That could really pay dividends down the road. I'm going to enjoy every second of this last season with Coach K, but it's hard to not be excited about the future of this program with Scheyer at the helm.

[CrazieDUMB]

But can you imagine what the 2019 team could have been if we had just 1 rotation player who could hit 40% from 3? There's no way to say for sure, but I can certainly imagine RJ and Zion having more space in the paint if that were the case.



One of my favorite What-Ifs is to think if Gary Trent stayed one more year to play with Zion and RJ.

To this same point though, sometimes players with great reputations for shooting in high school can underwhelm in college - same reason I daydream about Gary being on the 2019 team is that Cam Reddish had a reputation as a top tier shooter and still only hit 33%.

[kAzE]

One of my favorite What-Ifs is to think if Gary Trent stayed one more year to play with Zion and RJ.

To this same point though, sometimes players with great reputations for shooting in high school can underwhelm in college - same reason I daydream about Gary being on the 2019 team is that Cam Reddish had a reputation as a top tier shooter and still only hit 33%.

I also wonder all the time what could have been if Alex O'Connell was just a little bit better.

[DavidBenAkiva]

We only have 1 and half recruiting classes of data thus far, but I am very happy with the approach that Coach Scheyer appears to be taking with regards to recruiting. First, he goes after the top end guys who are no brainer OAD lottery picks (e.g. Dereck Lively). That's #1, and is pretty much in line with Coach K's recruiting.

But where he seems to have a slightly different strategy is the 2nd and 3rd tier guys he goes after, guys like Jared McCain, Jaden Schutt, and (although we didn't land him) JJ Starling. I think it's pretty clear after the lottery talent, Scheyer really targets the best shooters in the class, without too much regard to their perceived rankings. I agree with this approach. Shooting has to be the #2 priority. You can have all the NBA talent in the world, but without shooters to space the floor around them, things become more difficult than they need to be. Not that I am criticizing Coach K's recruiting. He's obviously been at the top of the college game in terms of recruiting for nearly the entirety of the last 30 years. But can you imagine what the 2019 team could have been if we had just 1 rotation player who could hit 40% from 3? There's no way to say for sure, but I can certainly imagine RJ and Zion having more space in the paint if that were the case.

It's not that Coach didn't go after shooters. He certainly did, but some things were just out of his control. What if the 2018 team with Bagley and Carter had Luke Kennard? That would have changed everything, but Kennard went pro the year prior. Scheyer appears to be targeting shooters who are projected to be guys who stay in school for a few years. That could really pay dividends down the road. I'm going to enjoy every second of this last season with Coach K, but it's hard to not be excited about the future of this program with Scheyer at the helm.

I agree with almost everything here, but I don't think the 2018 team would have benefited from Luke Kennard. They had Grayson Allen, who shot a pretty decent 37.0% on high volume. Gary Trent, Marvin Bagley, and Wendell Carter all shot 39.7%+ from 3. Trevon Duval could have been a better shooter, but that's kind of a want not a need situation. They had spacing on that team. That team couldn't play a lick of defense. Kennard wasn't going to help that. Still almost got to the Final Four.

Anyway, if you are going to have these wings and athletic bigs that can go up and get it, the best thing you can do for them is give them an outlet for an open 3 in the corner or a guy that will pull defenders away from the rim. Hopefully, Keels, Moore, Baker, Roach, etc. can do that this season.

[kAzE]

I agree with almost everything here, but I don't think the 2018 team would have benefited from Luke Kennard. They had Grayson Allen, who shot a pretty decent 37.0% on high volume. Gary Trent, Marvin Bagley, and Wendell Carter all shot 39.7%+ from 3. Trevon Duval could have been a better shooter, but that's kind of a want not a need situation. They had spacing on that team. That team couldn't play a lick of defense. Kennard wasn't going to help that. Still almost got to the Final Four.

You could be completely right, but what if you just replace Duval with Kennard in the lineup? We probably still have to play zone because that's still a really bad defensive team, but at least with Trent, Allen, and Kennard on the perimeter, you're spacing the floor extremely well. While I was never a Duval hater, he was by far the biggest obstacle in terms of spacing the floor for that team.

We also really lacked depth on that team, so just adding another NBA player (especially one with Kennard's perimeter skills) would have been a big difference maker. We were playing 10 minutes of O'Connell, 6 minutes of a freshman Goldwire, and 6 minutes of Jack White in most games that year. I would just give all those minutes, and steal a couple from Duval and replace them with Luke Kennard minutes.

It's pretty hypothetical, because someone really good would have to come off the bench, and maybe we don't land Gary Trent if Kennard stays, but I think I'd take a Junior Kennard over a freshman Trent. Kennard was just as lethal of a shooter, but a much better play maker than Trent at that stage of their respective careers.

[CDu]

One of my favorite What-Ifs is to think if Gary Trent stayed one more year to play with Zion and RJ.

To this same point though, sometimes players with great reputations for shooting in high school can underwhelm in college - same reason I daydream about Gary being on the 2019 team is that Cam Reddish had a reputation as a top tier shooter and still only hit 33%.


I also wonder all the time what could have been if Alex O'Connell was just a little bit better.

Having Trent or a useful version of O'Connell might have helped. Although we ultimately lost the MSU game because the team brainfarted it away. They committed some mindnumbingly bad turnovers, and couldn't figure out a way to get Zion the ball without MSU getting away with a foul. And really, they lost it on turnovers: committing too many against a team that doesn't force them, and not forcing any on a team that committed tons of them.

Obviously having one more sure-fire shooter would have changed the dynamic, and it never hurts to have more floor spacing. But I think just having a healthy team (Reddish was hurt, as was White) probably would have been enough in that game.


I agree with almost everything here, but I don't think the 2018 team would have benefited from Luke Kennard. They had Grayson Allen, who shot a pretty decent 37.0% on high volume. Gary Trent, Marvin Bagley, and Wendell Carter all shot 39.7%+ from 3. Trevon Duval could have been a better shooter, but that's kind of a want not a need situation. They had spacing on that team. That team couldn't play a lick of defense. Kennard wasn't going to help that. Still almost got to the Final Four.

I could go either way on this. On the one hand, we became an elite defensive team once we switched to zone. Duval and Allen had the energy and peskiness on the perimeter, and Bagley and Trent had the length and energy on the back line. Going to Kennard probably makes the zone a bit worse. But going to Kennard over Duval probably makes the offense better. And probably gets us a 1 seed as we probably don't lose as many regular season games (assuming we got to zone quickly).

Even still, though, we were a top-5ish team, and should have made the Final Four. Allen's miss, the bad call on Carter, it all just went wrong at the wrong time.

[Nugget]

Even still, though, we were a top-5ish team, and should have made the Final Four. Allen's miss, the bad call on Carter, it all just went wrong at the wrong time.

And don't forget this -- if Duval hadn't been sucked in to help off of Svi unnecessarily/not unwisely gone for the steal, either Graham would have driven to the hoop (and we'd have been up 1 with the ball w 25 seconds to go) or Svi's 3 would have been much better contested and he'd probably have missed and we'd have been up 3 with the ball and 25 seconds to go.

https://www.ncaa.com/video/basketball-men/2018-03-25/3-pointer-sviatoslav-mykhailiuk-0

I suppose at the end of the day it doesn't matter a ton b/c Villanova would have eaten that team up in the Final Four just like it did Kansas, but we'd sure feel better about the past 5 seasons if the 2018 and 2019 teams had made the FF instead of losing winnable games in the Elite 8.

[Chillduck]

Sean Stewart, a 6’8” forward from Windmere, Florida has been offered. Continuing the offers to lean forwards. https://twitter.com/sean13stewart/status/1456731658485436425?s=21

[Chillduck]

Stewart is on an official visit this weekend.

[CameronDuke]

Sean Stewart, a 6’8” forward from Windmere, Florida has been offered. Continuing the offers to lean forwards. https://twitter.com/sean13stewart/status/1456731658485436425?s=21

He’s listed as 6’8, 230 lbs on ESPN and is ranked 41st in the class of 2023 top 60. He’s a 4 star recruit.

Offers include Duke, Georgetown, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Arizona State, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Kansas, Maryland, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, Stetson, Texas A&M, Texas, and South Florida.

[53n206]

It seems to me that we so often refer to poor defense in our treads that relate to "what might have been". Can ewe not teach good players to play good defense. UVA does that's does 'Zaga,
'Nova etc. Syracuse for years. Am i wrong in questioning this? Could it be the number of potential "high pick" guys who care only about big offensive numbers?

[MartyClark]

It seems to me that we so often refer to poor defense in our treads that relate to "what might have been". Can ewe not teach good players to play good defense. UVA does that's does 'Zaga,
'Nova etc. Syracuse for years. Am i wrong in questioning this? Could it be the number of potential "high pick" guys who care only about big offensive numbers?

You could be right. But, I also think it may take more than one season to teach good defense. Duke recruiting has been great but it's a bit of revolving door. The best players only stay a year and I think it takes longer than that to build a cohesive, defensive team

[CDu]

It seems to me that we so often refer to poor defense in our treads that relate to "what might have been". Can ewe not teach good players to play good defense. UVA does that's does 'Zaga,
'Nova etc. Syracuse for years. Am i wrong in questioning this? Could it be the number of potential "high pick" guys who care only about big offensive numbers?

Kind of apples to oranges.

UVA’s defense relies on a system that takes multiple years to perfect. Bennett makes it work when his rotation is a bunch of guys with 2-3 years of experience in it.

Syracuse plays a 2-3 zone and recruits players to fit to that zone. The 2-3 is reasonably easy to teach, and like Bennett Boeheim usually has veterans playing it. Also worth noting that Syracuse hasn’t actually been good defensively for a while. In the recent years (2015, 2018) where we turned to a 2-3 zone, we ran it better than Cuse does.

Gonzaga also hasn’t generally been known for defense. They have generally been an offense-first team. But again, they rely primarily on a veteran roster.

Duke’s defensive success has been more hit or miss in the one-and-done era. But we have still had plenty of good defensive teams in the past decade. It is just harder to develop a good defense when you have new teams each year and when those teams are heavily loaded with 19 year olds.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Here's a photo Sean Stewart posted from his official visit to Duke this weekend.

https://twitter.com/Sean13Stewart/status/1457396642022371329/photo/2

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDm2gjVX0AIj8Rs?format=jpg&name=large

[flyingdutchdevil]

Here's a photo Sean Stewart posted from his official visit to Duke this weekend.

https://twitter.com/Sean13Stewart/status/1457396642022371329/photo/2

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FDm2gjVX0AIj8Rs?format=jpg&name=large

The recruit’s neck is longer than Scheyer’s! Gotta get this player if for only that reason!

[DavidBenAkiva]

Joe Tipton (https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1460691908846669833) has a little photoshop of Sean Stewart announcing his final 8 schools, including Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Michigan, Ohio State, and Stanford.

Quite the prestigious group of schools.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEVrjIVWQAkZc6g?format=jpg&name=900x900

[CameronBornAndBred]

Joe Tipton (https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1460691908846669833) has a little photoshop of Sean Stewart announcing his final 8 schools, including Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Michigan, Ohio State, and Stanford.

Quite the prestigious group of schools.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEVrjIVWQAkZc6g?format=jpg&name=900x900

And three of them coached by Dukies. :D

[DavidBenAkiva]

Class of 2023 5* F Taylor Bol Bowen of Egypt by way of Vermont and the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire will be making a visit to Durham on December 20th. That's a Monday during break, but Duke will face an important team on the 22nd, Virginia Tech.

https://stockrisers.com/s/407/five-star-junior-taylor-bol-bowen-talks-recruitment-and-game

[heyman25]

Comparisons to Luka Doncic skills.
https://www.zagsblog.com/2021/11/20/duke-kentucky-kansas-watch-class-of-2023-matas-buzelis-at-national-prep-showcase/

[Nugget]

Good for NC St. to beat out the likes of Kentucky and Memphis to land PG Robert Dillingham. The ACC has been lagging the SEC in recruiting the past couple of seasons and it's now really starting to show up on the court

[DavidBenAkiva]

Good for NC St. to beat out the likes of Kentucky and Memphis to land PG Robert Dillingham. The ACC has been lagging the SEC in recruiting the past couple of seasons and it's now really starting to show up on the court

A few months ago, UNC fans were convinced they were landing Dillingham. Then, it was all but certain that he was going to Kentucky. Now, he's committed to the Wolfpack.

Dillingham is at Donda Academy. It'll be interesting to see if he ever plays in college.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Travis Branham of 247Sports has reported (https://twitter.com/TravisBranham_/status/1472055726562414595) that GG Jackson, a 6'8" versatile forward (seems like a trend for the Class of 2023...) from Columbia, SC, will take an official visit to Duke the weekend of January 21st. This falls during the scheduled game against Syracuse.

Jackson is considered a strong lean towards Carolina. His father apparently was a big UNC fan. This has failed to deter HCIW Scheyer and staff, so who knows if that factoid will matter in the end. By way of game, Jackson is a 3-level scorer that can initiate from the perimeter or operate around the rim as a face-up forward. He is quick and long with a good handle. His profile is exactly what you want to see out of a modern forward in the college and NBA.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUYVkOnY0Cg

[Pghdukie]

Mata Buzelis is visiting Kentucky today.

[devilnfla]

Could it be Duke? We might get an early Christmas surprise this afternoon.

[CameronDuke]

Sean is a 6’8”, 230 lb power forward from Windermere, Florida. He is a 4 star recruit on ESPN and ranked 41st overall in the ESPN class of 2023. 247 sports’ crystal ball lists him as a 100% confidence level of committing to Duke.

Other offers include: Georgetown, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, Arizona State, Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia Tech, Harvard, Kansas, Maryland, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Stanford, Stetson, Texas, Texas A&M, and South Florida.

Should Stewart commit, he would be Jon Scheyer’s 2nd Class of 2023 recruit to commit, joining Caleb Foster (5 star point guard from Oak Hill Academy).

[Native]

https://youtu.be/VjGfV24Bp0M

[Truth&Justise]

Should Stewart commit, he would be Jon Scheyer’s 2nd Class of 2023 recruit to commit, joining Caleb Foster (5 star point guard from Oak Hill Academy).

Also worth keeping in mind for 2023 is Christian Reeves, Caleb Foster's current teammate at Oak Hill, who is planning to redshirt and debut for Duke in 2023. He's a 7-1 center and 3-star recruit.

[DavidBenAkiva]

This one has flown under the radar, at least it seems to me, but Class of 2023 F Sean Stewart is set to announce his commitment today (https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1473856903092609025). The commitment video will be live on Instagram at 4:15 p.m. EST. There was a flurry of crystal ball activity in favor of Duke, too. Seems like HCIW Jon Scheyer and the recruitment train keeps rolling along.

Stewart, the son of former NBA Player Michael "Yogi" Stewart, a journeyman F/C that played for 8 seasons and was at one time teammates with Carlos Boozer, LeBron James, and DaJuan Wagner in Cleveland. Coincidently, Wagner's son DJ is also one of the top-rated players in the Class of 2023.

As far as a scouting report is concerned, Stewart is a multi-positional defender, athletic, and has a developing perimeter game. He appears to be more comfortable facing up and attacking the basket at this point but has good shooting mechanics that may develop in time, in college or beyond. He is rated as the 25th player in 247Sports, 41st by ESPN, and 58th by Rivals.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjGfV24Bp0M

[plimnko]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/5-star-recruit-huge-fan-110057177.html


Taylor Bol Bowen describes himself as a “huge fan” of Duke basketball.

So among the many NBA players Bowen has been compared to in his prep career, from the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant to the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Toronto Raptors’ Pascal Siakam, hearing his name evoked alongside the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum has been extra flattering.

[budwom]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/5-star-recruit-huge-fan-110057177.html

Interesting prospect who, according to some reports, lives right down the road from me, but I've never heard of him...somehow he wandered down to NH to play prep school hoops.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Interesting prospect who, according to some reports, lives right down the road from me, but I've never heard of him...somehow he wandered down to NH to play prep school hoops.

Love to hear what he has to say about Duke. It really pays to have a star Blue Devil in Boston right near Brewster.

I wonder if the coaching staff is attempting to get both Bowen and Sean Stewart as rotation players as freshmen with the hopes that they stick around to be sophomores, like the plan with Brakefield and Coleman. The primary targets for the forward positions are Mgbako and Jackson from what I can tell. I'd love to have a pair of athletic borderline 5-star recruits around for a sophomore year.

[CDu]

Love to hear what he has to say about Duke. It really pays to have a star Blue Devil in Boston right near Brewster.

I wonder if the coaching staff is attempting to get both Bowen and Sean Stewart as rotation players as freshmen with the hopes that they stick around to be sophomores, like the plan with Brakefield and Coleman. The primary targets for the forward positions are Mgbako and Jackson from what I can tell. I'd love to have a pair of athletic borderline 5-star recruits around for a sophomore year.

Doesn’t seem like Jackson is coming to Duke. All the buzz for him seems UNC’s way. But Bowen is a top-25 recruit, so not a terrible fallback. We are also recruiting Bowen’s teammate Buzelis, who is another 6’9” guy but with guard skills.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Doesn’t seem like Jackson is coming to Duke. All the buzz for him seems UNC’s way. But Bowen is a top-25 recruit, so not a terrible fallback. We are also recruiting Bowen’s teammate Buzelis, who is another 6’9” guy but with guard skills.

Andrew Slater (https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/status/1477417639458783234) and others have reported that Jackson is taking an official visit to Duke later this month, 1/21-22. Everyone thought Walker Kessler was Duke bound until he visited Chapel Hill. Perhaps Jackson will be the inverse, a player that commits to Duke after everyone assumed he was going to UNC.


***** G.G. Jackson’23 @GregJ2023 of @RidgeViewHoops will take an official visit to Duke 1/21-22. He’ll likely take an official to UVA. hearing more from Auburn of late. UNC, S.Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Georgetown all involved. Would like to decide before the summer Eyes

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FIDXgN0WYAEnKRX?format=jpg&name=900x900

[DavidBenAkiva]

Interesting article from Rob Cassidy of Rivals discussing players that are poised to rise in the rankings in the classes of '22 and '23. The list includes both GG Jackson (#10 in latest Rivals Top150) and Matas Buzelis (#27). The Rivals team hinting that both are in consideration for the top 10 with Jackson possibly challenging DJ Wagner for the top spot.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/i-ve-got-five-on-it-five-prospects-that-should-rise-in-the-rankings

[flyingdutchdevil]

Interesting article from Rob Cassidy of Rivals discussing players that are poised to rise in the rankings in the classes of '22 and '23. The list includes both GG Jackson (#10 in latest Rivals Top150) and Matas Buzelis (#27). The Rivals team hinting that both are in consideration for the top 10 with Jackson possibly challenging DJ Wagner for the top spot.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/i-ve-got-five-on-it-five-prospects-that-should-rise-in-the-rankings

Also talks about Filipowski and Whitehead.

I cannot see a world where both Lively and Filipowski do not start next year. Both look to be top 5 recruits (especially with Sharpe out of the rankings).

[DavidBenAkiva]

Also talks about Filipowski and Whitehead.

I cannot see a world where both Lively and Filipowski do not start next year. Both look to be top 5 recruits (especially with Sharpe out of the rankings).

It's not out of the world of possibility that Duke starts Jeremy Roach and 4 freshmen next season.

[flyingdutchdevil]

It's not out of the world of possibility that Duke starts Jeremy Roach and 4 freshmen next season.

Possibly. I think the 3-5 are most certainly freshman. Outside of Schutt, no one is ideal for the 2.

I'd love to see a 3pt shooting transfer come in and start at the 2 with Roach, Whitehead, Filipowski, and Lively. Mitchell, Schutt, and Blakes provide depth.

[CDu]

Possibly. I think the 3-5 are most certainly freshman. Outside of Schutt, no one is ideal for the 2.

I'd love to see a 3pt shooting transfer come in and start at the 2 with Roach, Whitehead, Filipowski, and Lively. Mitchell, Schutt, and Blakes provide depth.

I agree here. I feel like we don't have an ideal group to start four freshmen next year. But I think we'll VERY likely start 3. And hopefully we add an impact transfer as a guard/wing - one who can defend, handle the ball, and shoot.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I agree here. I feel like we don't have an ideal group to start four freshmen next year. But I think we'll VERY likely start 3. And hopefully we add an impact transfer as a guard/wing - one who can defend, handle the ball, and shoot.

I think it's all but guaranteed. Whitehead is starting. Lively is starting. Filipowski is continuing to play great and has opportunity to finish as a top 5 ranked player. And I don't think top 5 players don't start in any program.

The only thing preventing 3 starting freshman is major injuries (think Harry Giles), an unexpected returning big (Mark Williams wants to graduate a la Jay Williams), or Scheyer doing something outside the college basketball playbook.

But man, oh man, do I want a 2 who can shoot 3s. Defense and playmaking are nice to haves, not need to haves.

[MarkD83]

I agree here. I feel like we don't have an ideal group to start four freshmen next year. But I think we'll VERY likely start 3. And hopefully we add an impact transfer as a guard/wing - one who can defend, handle the ball, and shoot.

Not to "pik nits" but Duke will almost HAVE TO start 3 freshman. Here are the upperclassmen that are most likely to be back.

Roach
Blakes

Savarino
Worthington
Borden
Hubbard

[mr. synellinden]

Not to "pik nits" but Duke will almost HAVE TO start 3 freshman. Here are the upperclassmen that are most likely to be back.

Roach
Blakes

Savarino
Worthington
Borden
Hubbard

Unless there is a transfer in the mix.

[CDu]

Not to "pik nits" but Duke will almost HAVE TO start 3 freshman. Here are the upperclassmen that are most likely to be back.

Roach
Blakes

Savarino
Worthington
Borden
Hubbard

"Almost have to" and "VERY likely" are basically saying the same things, right? I think we are in agreement. Unless we add two transfer starters (or Baker chooses to return and surprisingly steps up to become a starter), we'll start at least 3 freshmen. I'm hopeful we add two transfers, with at least one being a starter.

But yes, unless something crazy happens, Lively, Filipowski, and Whitehead are almost guaranteed to start.

[flyingdutchdevil]

"Almost have to" and "VERY likely" are basically saying the same things, right? I think we are in agreement. Unless we add two transfer starters (or Baker chooses to return and surprisingly steps up to become a starter), we'll start at least 3 freshmen. I'm hopeful we add two transfers, with at least one being a starter.

But yes, unless something crazy happens, Lively, Filipowski, and Whitehead are almost guaranteed to start.

1. I just can't see Baker starting next year. His defense is so poor and he's non-3pt stats aren't good (46% from 2 this year. Career 40% from 2). If Baker does start, our ceiling just isn't that high.

2. I'd settle for one transfer. Can't be too greedy. But I do want that transfer to start and be somewhat elite (like the top scorer at a solid mid-major or the second banana at a Power 6 team). And I want that starter to be an elite 3pt shooter. I think that 2nd transfer would add depth, but we already have Mitchell (or Filipowski if Mitchell starts), Schutt, and Blakes. For a Coach K disciple like Scheyer, 8 is more than enough.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

If a player redshirted and this is their fourth year playing (so their fifth year in college) do they have another year now due to the bonus Covid year?

Because I need a life, I was just doing some googling to try to find players who might fit in well next year and saw a few who did this.

[MarkD83]

"Almost have to" and "VERY likely" are basically saying the same things, right? I think we are in agreement. Unless we add two transfer starters (or Baker chooses to return and surprisingly steps up to become a starter), we'll start at least 3 freshmen. I'm hopeful we add two transfers, with at least one being a starter.

But yes, unless something crazy happens, Lively, Filipowski, and Whitehead are almost guaranteed to start.

I believe we are in agreement. I do need to give my reasoning....

If Wendell, Mark, Trevor and AJ perform well enough to be drafted we will all be very happy on this board since Duke will go very deep in the post season.

[scottdude8]

If a player redshirted and this is their fourth year playing (so their fifth year in college) do they have another year now due to the bonus Covid year?

Because I need a life, I was just doing some googling to try to find players who might fit in well next year and saw a few who did this.

Yup. Essentially last year was a "free year" and didn't count towards anyone's eligibility. So if you redshirted, you get two free years, one for the redshirt and one for COVID. So we'll be seeing sixth year players for the next couple years.

[CDu]

If a player redshirted and this is their fourth year playing (so their fifth year in college) do they have another year now due to the bonus Covid year?

Because I need a life, I was just doing some googling to try to find players who might fit in well next year and saw a few who did this.

Yes, that is essentially the Charlie Moore situation - a 6th-year senior. Everyone has the option of coming back for a fifth actual season (and sixth year in college).

[DavidBenAkiva]

Yes, that is essentially the Charlie Moore situation - a 6th-year senior. Everyone has the option of coming back for a fifth actual season (and sixth year in college).

Or if you are Jalen Coleman-Lands, presently of Kansas, a 7th year. He redshirted after transferring from Illinois to DePaul and then got a medical redshirt the following season, transferred to Iowa State the year after that and then against last summer transferred to Kansas.

He was a freshman the same year as Brandon Ingram. He is two months younger than Tyus Jones and is playing college basketball still. Amazing.

[Phredd3]

Or if you are Jalen Coleman-Lands, presently of Kansas, a 7th year. He redshirted after transferring from Illinois to DePaul and then got a medical redshirt the following season, transferred to Iowa State the year after that and then against last summer transferred to Kansas.

He was a freshman the same year as Brandon Ingram. He is two months younger than Tyus Jones and is playing college basketball still. Amazing.

Is he working on a Ph.D., yet?

[tommy]

Or if you are Jalen Coleman-Lands, presently of Kansas, a 7th year. He redshirted after transferring from Illinois to DePaul and then got a medical redshirt the following season, transferred to Iowa State the year after that and then against last summer transferred to Kansas.

He was a freshman the same year as Brandon Ingram. He is two months younger than Tyus Jones and is playing college basketball still. Amazing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72e3fjKgV9Q

Careful about the last few seconds if opening in your office. :)

[Pghdukie]

Just an idle thought. Would Patrick Baldwin consider the Transfer Portal and attend Duke for his sophomore season ?

[Bluedog]

Just an idle thought. Would Patrick Baldwin consider the Transfer Portal and attend Duke for his sophomore season ?

Is he not going pro for some reason?

[jimsumner]

Is he not going pro for some reason?

He is not having a good season. But I still see him at the bottom of the first round in some mock drafts.

[Bluedog]

He is not having a good season. But I still see him at the bottom of the first round in some mock drafts.

Thanks Jim. I just assumed he was gone regardless, but admittedly, haven't paid attention to how his season was going. Still, if he's likely going to be drafted, I don't see him transferring and playing another year of college ball. In fact, that could be to his detriment as freshman still get more slack from NBA GMs due to their "potential" than sophomores get....

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

He is not having a good season. But I still see him at the bottom of the first round in some mock drafts.
13.4 pts 6.6 reb against Horizon League competition. Yikes.

[kAzE]

13.4 pts 6.6 reb against Horizon League competition. Yikes.

on 37/32/74 shooting. Young guy, and still a lot of untapped upside, but that is pretty bad for a guy who was supposed to be a lottery pick. He may still be recovering from his injury which kept him out most of last season, but we may have dodged a bullet.

[dukelion]

on 37/32/74 shooting. Young guy, and still a lot of untapped upside, but that is pretty bad for a guy who was supposed to be a lottery pick. He may still be recovering from his injury which kept him out most of last season, but we may have dodged a bullet.

Perhaps his stats are impacted because he's the focus of the offense but I agree.....those are near horrific numbers for a potential lottery pick.

[brevity]

He is not having a good season. But I still see him at the bottom of the first round in some mock drafts.

Milwaukee is playing their 17th game of the season right now (Illinois-Chicago has come back from a 7-point halftime deficit to take the lead), but so far Patrick Baldwin Jr. has only played in 8 of them. This list of starting lineups (https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/milwaukee/2022-starters.html) and this individual game log (https://www.rotowire.com/cbasketball/player.php?id=18769) tells part of the story:

Started Games 1-4, but injured his leg during a collision (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bowling-green-82-uwm-68-224341011.html) in the first half of Game 4 and missed Games 5-7.

Started Games 8-10, but was out with COVID (https://twitter.com/Todd_Rosiak/status/1474118453766373376) and missed Games 11-13.

Came off the bench for Game 14, playing 11 minutes and injuring his ankle (https://gopresstimes.com/2022/01/06/despite-big-night-from-mcgee-phoenix-lose-seventh-straight/) in the second half. He's been out ever since.

I watched some of their game at Detroit Mercy last week on ESPN2, where I learned of his injury, and noticed that the court was named for former Mercy coach Dick Vitale. You might recognize their current coach, Mike Davis, from his previous stints at Indiana, UAB, and Texas Southern. Like Pat Baldwin Sr., he also coaches his son. Antoine Davis scored 39 points in a 25-point win (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/2022/01/07/nba-scouts-attendance-detroits-antoine-davis-dazzles-sets-scoring-record/9138206002/), watched by several NBA scouts.

Milwaukee's record is 3-5 with Baldwin and 2-6 without him. Also on the team's roster (https://mkepanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster) are Vin Baker Jr. and Moses Bol, who is related to Manute Bol and Bol Bol.

[kAzE]

Perhaps his stats are impacted because he's the focus of the offense but I agree...those are near horrific numbers for a potential lottery pick.

And yet he's still playing better than the guy who was supposed to be the next Kevin Durant (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4433620/emoni-bates) :rolleyes:

I'm beginning to think, between these couple of extremely overrated guys and the 2 somewhat underrated freshman who came to Duke (AJ and Trevor), that scouting during a pandemic is a tough job.

[tommy]

Also: I forget whether his dad got a contract extension before this year, but I do remember he was on shaky ground. The team is having a simply awful year -- lots of ugly losses to bad teams. Dad got to stay on the job because his son was coming. But having a terrible year with his son underwhelming on the court -- dad may get the pink slip and that'll be that for junior -- to the draft he goes. But he would probably be going under any circumstances anyway.

[johnb]

And yet he's still playing better than the guy who was supposed to be the next Kevin Durant (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4433620/emoni-bates) :rolleyes:

I'm beginning to think, between these couple of extremely overrated guys and the 2 somewhat underrated freshman who came to Duke (AJ and Trevor), that scouting during a pandemic is a tough job.

I’d add that coaching is also a tough job, and Keels is being given space to flex his muscles, while AJ has been brought along quite well post-injury and is poised to solidify himself as a star.

[Pghdukie]

Hoop Hall in Massachusetts this weekend will be a hotbed of top notch talent.

[rsvman]

And yet he's still playing better than the guy who was supposed to be the next Kevin Durant (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4433620/emoni-bates) :rolleyes:

I'm beginning to think, between these couple of extremely overrated guys and the 2 somewhat underrated freshman who came to Duke (AJ and Trevor), that scouting during a pandemic is a tough job.

Another conclusion might be that we are better at scouting than some others.

[CDu]

Another conclusion might be that we are better at scouting than some others.

I mean, we very much wanted Baldwin too.

[jimsumner]

I mean, we very much wanted Baldwin too.

Absolutely. Baldwin was K's top priority in that class for several years.

[tommy]

I mean, we very much wanted Baldwin too.

At various points we were interested in Baldwin, Max Christie, and Caleb Houston to come in as a hopeful knock down shooter. None of them have been very good so far this year. Baldwin is scoring the most but his shooting has been pretty poor — he scores more points because he shoots more. Christie has shot the best of the three, but he’s not been great. He’s been ok. And Houston has probably been the most disappointing recruit in the class. Just hasn’t hit shots at all.

[kAzE]

I mean, we very much wanted Baldwin too.

Although adding Baldwin would have created a logjam at the forward position, I think he has a much, much more efficient season to this point if he were playing with guys like Trevor Keels, Wendell Moore, and Paolo Banchero. Obviously, he would not be getting the kind of usage that he is getting with UWM, but how wide open are his looks when the likes of Paolo, AJ, and Wendell are drawing 2 or sometimes 3 defenders in the paint? At this point, Baldwin is a not a player who can create offense for himself off the dribble, and he is also dealing with some injuries and Covid, so in hindsight, his poor performance probably isn't THAT unreasonable. He's still a great NBA prospect because of his size, skill level, and shooting touch.

Baldwin would have been a luxury on this team, and I feel adding him would have had diminishing returns since we have so many talented forwards. Kennedy Chandler is the recruiting miss who could have really boosted this particular team.

[simplyluvin]

Although adding Baldwin would have created a logjam at the forward position, I think he has a much, much more efficient season to this point if he were playing with guys like Trevor Keels, Wendell Moore, and Paolo Banchero. Obviously, he would not be getting the kind of usage that he is getting with UWM, but how wide open are his looks when the likes of Paolo, AJ, and Wendell are drawing 2 or sometimes 3 defenders in the paint? At this point, Baldwin is a not a player who can create offense for himself off the dribble, and he is also dealing with some injuries and Covid, so in hindsight, his poor performance probably isn't THAT unreasonable. He's still a great NBA prospect because of his size, skill level, and shooting touch.

Baldwin would have been a luxury on this team, and I feel adding him would have had diminishing returns since we have so many talented forwards. Kennedy Chandler is the recruiting miss who could have really boosted this particular team.

Yup, agree. Chandler is the playmaking type that could really have helped. We probably don’t get Keels though, who is a better shooter, and I’m purely speculating here but likely the better defender.

[Phredd3]

Yup, agree. Chandler is the playmaking type that could really have helped. We probably don’t get Keels though, who is a better shooter, and I’m purely speculating here but likely the better defender.

I"m still waiting for the proof of this particular pudding. 30% is kinda killing us at the moment.

[budwom]

Just an idle thought. Would Patrick Baldwin consider the Transfer Portal and attend Duke for his sophomore season ?

I could see it happening only if his father got canned at Milwaukee...the grand plan of rescuing him doesn't seem to be working, they're 6-12 now.

He's not having a good year at all this year, but I could see that changing at a better school....some very savvy people feel he would have been a terrific Blue Devil.

[brlftz]

At the time that felt like a decision Baldwin made for all the wrong reasons, which I felt reflected very poorly on the father. Not surprised it isn’t working out well.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I could see it happening only if his father got canned at Milwaukee...the grand plan of rescuing him doesn't seem to be working, they're 6-12 now.

He's not having a good year at all this year, but I could see that changing at a better school...some very savvy people feel he would have been a terrific Blue Devil.

He is listed as a 'G' and we do need a starting 2...

[DavidBenAkiva]

ESPN updated its rankings for the HS Class of 2023. I'm not sure where they were ranked before, but here are the players Duke has offered or targeted:

https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1483813586648580102

3. 6'8" F Mackenzie Mgbako - Offered, visited in the fall of 2021, high priority recruit
7. 6'8" F GG Jackson - Offered, visiting weekend of 1/21-22, considered a Carolina lean but you never know
9. 6'9" G/F Matas Buzelis - Offered, no visit date scheduled, high priority recruit, a "unicorn" that can handle, play any position 1-4
13. 6'8" F Sean Stewart - Committed, athletic forward with developing skills
19. 6'5" G Caleb Foster - Committed, some chatter about him reclassifying to the Class of 2022
22. 6'2" G Jared McCain - Offered, visiting weekend of 2/5-6, considered a high-level scorer with pure shooting stroke
36. 6'8" Taylor Bol Bowen - Offered, had to reschedule a visit, long, athletic forward with good-looking shooting form
43. 6'2" G Bronny James - Not offered, appears to be interested in Duke

Stewart is a big riser in this class. I wonder what his commitment means for Bowen since they would both compete for a forward position. If, for example, Mark Mitchell sticks around for a sophomore season, would Bowen or Stewart get much playing time? It's hard to project these things with the turnover from year-to-year.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

ESPN updated its rankings for the HS Class of 2023. I'm not sure where they were ranked before, but here are the players Duke has offered or targeted:

https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1483813586648580102

3. 6'8" F Mackenzie Mgbako - Offered, visited in the fall of 2021, high priority recruit
7. 6'8" F GG Jackson - Offered, visiting weekend of 1/21-22, considered a Carolina lean but you never know
9. 6'9" G/F Matas Buzelis - Offered, no visit date scheduled, high priority recruit, a "unicorn" that can handle, play any position 1-4
13. 6'8" F Sean Stewart - Committed, athletic forward with developing skills
19. 6'5" G Caleb Foster - Committed, some chatter about him reclassifying to the Class of 2022
22. 6'2" G Jared McCain - Offered, visiting weekend of 2/5-6, considered a high-level scorer with pure shooting stroke
36. 6'8" Taylor Bol Bowen - Offered, had to reschedule a visit, long, athletic forward with good-looking shooting form
43. 6'2" G Bronny James - Not offered, appears to be interested in Duke

Stewart is a big riser in this class. I wonder what his commitment means for Bowen since they would both compete for a forward position. If, for example, Mark Mitchell sticks around for a sophomore season, would Bowen or Stewart get much playing time? It's hard to project these things with the turnover from year-to-year.
More than just chatter about him possibly reclassifying:
https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/Caleb-Foster-reclassification-rumors-2022-Duke-basketball-recruiting-class-Mackenzie-Mgbako-Jared-McCain-Sean-Stewart-180960469/

[JasonEvans]

Does anyone know Caleb Foster's age/birthday? Some of these reclass kids end up arriving in school at a young enough age that they must play two years. Emoni Bates was born in Jan of 2004, meaning he will only be 18 this year and making him ineligible for the 2022 NBA draft.

[devilnfla]

More than just chatter about him possibly reclassifying:
https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/Caleb-Foster-reclassification-rumors-2022-Duke-basketball-recruiting-class-Mackenzie-Mgbako-Jared-McCain-Sean-Stewart-180960469/
I have a friend in the Concord area that knows the family. Hearing that the decision at this point will be to stay in the 23 class. He's forming a bond with several other recruits in that class that are considered strong Duke leans.

[JasonEvans]

I have a friend in the Concord area that knows the family. Hearing that the decision at this point will be to stay in the 23 class. He's forming a bond with several other recruits in that class that are considered strong Duke leans.

I have no inside info on this, but it seems like the decision will depend somewhat upon Roach. If, for some reason, he decides to leave then Duke has a backup option. If he stays then Foster enjoys a fabulous senior season in high school.

[DavidBenAkiva]

I was firmly in the camp of "stay in 2023" for Caleb Foster but have softened on that position somewhat lately. I view him as more or less what the coaching staff saw in JJ Starling, a guard that could play a couple positions and make outside shots. If he comes to Duke this summer, then I hope he's prepared to come off the bench for some or all of next season. If he stays in the Class of 2023, then that's a great outcome as well as it means Duke's PG situation is lined up for the next few years.

[kAzE]

I have no inside info on this, but it seems like the decision will depend somewhat upon Roach. If, for some reason, he decides to leave then Duke has a backup option. If he stays then Foster enjoys a fabulous senior season in high school.

Why are they mutually exclusive? Roach and Jaylen Blakes are the only PGs on the roster next year . . . Shouldn't it be a priority to get another guard who can compete for PG minutes, in case either of those guys have to miss time or just aren't playing well? Also, Foster is a big guy who could play off ball or as a secondary ball handler. I think we need at least 1 more guard. Right now our best players on next year's roster are a bunch of tall to really tall wings and bigs.

[DavidBenAkiva]

GG Jackson was visiting Duke over the weekend and saw the Blue Devils win big against Syracuse. He spent a good amount of time in the student section and hanging around Class of 2023 commit Sean Stewart. Jackson posted a few photos on his instagram account on Sunday, including the one below.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJ1IpcVWYAQ3iH4?format=jpg&name=medium

[DavidBenAkiva]

A screen shot of another pic, with a couple of interesting comments from another top priority recruit.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJ1IpcVWQAMWETJ?format=jpg&name=large

[JasonEvans]

Nice that GG had a good visit, but with some degree of uncertainty about Flip and Mitchell being OAD, I think GG may be a tougher sell (though I am sur Scheyer can find room for a pogo stick big with an endless motor no matter who else is on the roster). Plus, everyone... I mean everyone... seems to think GG is going to pick the Tarheels.

Panicked Duke fan: Does this mean Mackenzie Mgbako is leaning toward UNC?!?!