I'm sorry for being late to the incoming class but I was curious who does DUKE have coming in that will be playing at the 4 or especially the 5?I'm dreading that Flip will probably go pro.Do we have someone coming back that's already here that will fill those minutes at the 4 n 5 spots?
Are you talking about next season (2023-24)? This is the Class of 2024 recruiting thread, so players would be freshmen in the following season, the 2024-25 season.
I assume you're asking about next season (23-24).
The incoming recruiting class includes 3 players that are ~6'8" and could play the 4.
Mackenzie Mgbako is the highest-rated. He's in that classic Duke big wing mold, like Jabari Parker, Brandon Ingram and Jayson Tatum. Of the incoming freshmen, Mgbako is most likely to start and could play the 3 or 4. He has a reputation as a guy that can shoot as well as drive and finish at the rim. There are some questions about how consistent his shot will be. He's probably a good but not great athlete for the NBA but will be well above average in college.
Sean Stewart is also a top-rated player and, like Mgbako, is a McDonald's All-American. Stewart is the son of a former NBA player and is family friends with Grant Hill. Stewart is the most athletic of the incoming recruits and can really elevate. He's known as an exceptional help defender and rebounder with a more raw offensive game. He's sort of like a downsized Dereck Lively in a way and might end up as a small-ball 5 and maybe even the NBA if he doesn't grow a couple inches. He comes off the bench for his loaded Montverde Academy team.
TJ Power is the lowest-rated recruit coming in next season but might have the most complete skillset. He's known as a deadly shooter that can also handle and pass from the wings. He's a northeast guy and knows Kyle Filipowski well. Like Mgbako, he is a guy that might slot in as a 3 or 4 depending on the situation. Power was named Nike EYBL Peach Jam defensive MVP last summer (Duke commit G Caleb Foster was named offensive MVP, which is nice). While not considered an elite athlete, he is considered to be among the most skilled and versatile.
Figuring out the returning players right now is cloudy at best. The NBA Draft picture for all the Duke freshmen is not so clear. There is a possibility that any of the freshmen could return. If I had to guess, Dereck Lively and Dariq Whitehead are most likely going to go the NBA after the season. Filipowski and Mitchell have decisions to make. Ryan Young seems to be a very real option for Duke next season (he didn't get honored for Senior Night, for example, and has another year of eligiblity). Christian Reeves is another possible or maybe even likely part of the roster as a reserve center. Who knows if he wants PT next season. He might not find it at Duke. Then again, he was rated outside the Top 100 of his high school class and committed to Duke anyway knowing full well that two 5-star 7-footers were coming to Durham.
My best guess right now is that Duke holds onto Mark Mitchell and it's maybe 50/50 if Filipowski returns. If Lively departs and Filipowski stays, I suspect Flip moves over to play the center position more often next season. If Flip doesn't return, the transfer portal might be the place to go.
Right now, I think the frontcourt for next season could look something like this:
Starters: Mgbako, Mitchell, Filipowski (or transfer)
Bench: Power, Stewart, Young, Reeves, Borden
That's 8 guys that are 6'8" or taller with 3 7-footers (one of which, Borden, being a walk-on).
As for the next season, that's way too hard to tell right now.
Last edited by DavidBenAkiva; 03-07-2023 at 12:50 PM.
Did Grandison and the other departing grad transfers give senior speeches?
U nailed it!I was wondering about next year's team.Thank u for helping me see what next yrs team might look like!Caleb Foster plays Bronny James tonight and I heard Caleb's team has beat Serria Canyon 3 x already.So I'm definitely looking forward to next year's team. Please stay Flip Please!!
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
https://youtube.com/shorts/sAgjOgon1lY?feature=share
This kid is pretty spectacular. I’m assuming we’re giving him a look.
Last edited by -jk; 03-08-2023 at 05:22 PM. Reason: fix link
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Hard to tell with guys that dominate or set scoring records in high school. Joe Girard set records in New York, and I was really upset that he didn't come to Duke. After watching him play for 4 years, no big loss there. Some said Zion was just a raw dunker who dominated lesser talent in high school. It's just hard to tell which way it's going to go.
One of the big differences with Zion was that he also was dominating competition in USA Basketball minicamps. There were lots of reports coming out about Zion being THAT DUDE from people that saw him play outside of the high school settings.
I have no dog in the fight here for this Kentucky kid. Maybe he's a special scorer. Steph Curry once dominated in high school but went under the radar. And that kid had a well-known NBA player as a dad!
It's funny to look back at those things in hindsight. It's laughable that Zion wasn't #1 in his class. It's also laughable that Kyrie was ranked behind Harrison Barnes. I'm sure Alabama fans find it hilarious that Brandon Miller was ranked behind Lively. Lively was an interesting one - even the reports that we had suggested that he wasn't going to be much of a scorer other than lobs and easy putbacks. In my mind, you need a more complete offensive game to be the #1 recruit. The NBA drafts on long-term potential, but the high school recruiting rankings should be about how good you are your senior year/how good you will be 1 year removed from high school.
Further, according to that linked Youtube video and no additional research whatsoever, he is being touted as potentially the 10th 5,000-point scorer in high school basketball history.
But he's been playing varsity since 7th grade, which feels kinda cheap. Or at least very Antoine Davis-y of him.
- Chillin
Wait. I know Travis Perry, biology professor at Furman University.
A bit old for college basketball, but in good shape since he hikes about the southwest trying to "capture" these guys (only photos and cat scat). He's very much into protecting them which scores lots of points with me.
perry-research-mountain-lion.jpg
For those interested in tracking recruitment efforts 8 miles down 15/501, there might be some smoke related to their prized recruit, Ian Jackson. Andrew Slater had some interesting thoughts on the situation with Jackson vis-a-vis Rick Pitino and St. John's.
https://twitter.com/Andrew__Slater/s...77836917166082
On the eve of the Men’s National Championship
has there been any more activity of HS ,overseas talent in the Duke recruiting . Evans from Charlotte area has gotten a bid. This time of year we all await who is returning. I made my predictions and hope Scheyer, Lucas , Carrawell , Schrage and Jefferson complete the roster for next season.
USA basketball held a mini-camp in Houston over the weekend for some of the top players from the Classes of '24, '25, and '26. I don't think coaches from college teams were allowed to attend. Word often gets out how certain players did in these things. They must let so e of the recruiting experts from ESPN, 247, and others in to watch.
GEICO Nationals, featuring some of the top players in the country, was also over the weekend.
Coming up, the Nike EYBL Peach Jan will take place. That is one of the big recruiting events. We should hear more about which players got a look from the Duke coaching staff.
In general, the Class of 2024 will probably be a small group for Duke. It seems like most of the Class of '23 are going to stay a couple years at Duke. There isn't as much need or opportunity for a big group of freshmen that year.