2024 Men's Basketball Recruiting

[tommy]

I don't see Duke getting involved with McNeeley. Just from a roster perspective, there are a lot of wing options likely to be around in 2024-25.

JR Schutt, SO Power, and FR Harris are all possibly or even likely to be on the roster. Power, to me, is the 3/4 type that is most redundant to McNeeley in skillset and playstyle. Power is a little bigger while McNeeley seems to be a better ball handler at this stage. I think McNeeley would easily start over Schutt and Harris. I also believe the coaching staff is pivoting slightly to plan for having an "older" roster (older in terms of more sophomores and juniors than we have seen lately, not a team of 23 and 24 year-olds). Schutt and Blakes, among others, being significant contributors as upperclassmen, seems to be the plan. I think that's going to squeeze out a guy like McNeeley that Duke might have targeted in the past.

Of course, it's not all multi-year guys. Duke seems to be very serious about Dylan Harper. He's a combo guard and has a similar skillset to McNeeley as a guy that can handle the ball and score as well as make plays for teammates. Harper has made an official visit and been offered. McNeeley has done neither. Perhaps McNeeley is a backup option if Harper cools on Duke?

The other factor here is the loaded top of the Class of 2025. Duke is clearly putting its weight into recruiting Cameron and Cayden Boozer and Cooper Flagg. It's not like Duke is abandoning all one-and-dones. There are a number of scouts that believe Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg are the best prospects in high school, even including the top of the Classes of 2023 and 2024. If Duke is able to land those two plus Cayden Boozer, having a team of experienced players around them could result in one of the better Duke teams. In the best-case scenario, landing the Boozers and Flagg might be akin to a team with Paolo Banchero, Jayson Tatum, and Gary Trent, Jr playing alongside a bunch of guys that have been at Duke for 2-4 years with many being plus shooters (Schutt, McCain, Harris, possibly Tyler Betsey - a top 50 F in the Class of 2024 that is known for his shooting - and maybe Power as a JR). If Scheyer can land Boozer and the Flaggs, that might be the year where Jon Scheyer puts his stamp on the program. It might mean sacrificing an opportunity with a guy like Liam McNeeley to get it done.

And Cooper Flagg still is on Duke as his “dream school.”
https://www.zagsblog.com/2023/01/15/...-dream-school/

[dm9e24]

But do you see a Jayson Tatum in this freshman class?

I don't see him either. Nor a Zion or a RJ (I think that is how you spell RJ) or a Banchero. No one that is not going to spend a few years in the G-League before contributing on a nba roster. But that's the culture. Top rated high school kids don't hone their skills in college anymore. Probably will lose at least three freshmen this year.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Duke hosted a highly-rated local player on Saturday. Jarin Stevenson is a 6'10" 200 lb F from Pittsboro, NC. The young man is ranked in the top 15 of his high school class and possess a great deal of skills. He has long been considered a UNC target. The Tar Heels extended an offer before his sophomore year of high school. It was a little surprising to see him then behind the Duke bench on Saturday as the Blue Devils took down Miami. Stevenson then took a short trip along 15-501 to watch UNC dispatch NC State. He has visited UNC seemingly a half-dozen times to date.

https://www.si.com/college/duke/recr...top-unc-target

What's going on here, then? It could just be that Stevenson was planning on watching the UNC game and got a free invite and prime seats at Cameron Indoor Stadium. On the other hand, Stevenson has held an offer from UNC for a long time and hasn't yet committed. Perhaps he is reconsidering his future?

For what it's worth, UNC has a somewhat crowded frontcourt situation in 2024-25. It's possibly that Puff Johnson, Tyler Nickel, Dontrez Styles, Jalen Washington, and fellow HS junior Drake Powell will all be on the roster that season. Hubert Davis is developing a bit of a reputation for handing out almost all available minutes to his starters. Perhaps Stevenson doesn't see where he would fit in on the roster. Duke, meanwhile, projects to be a little more open at the forward position in 2024-25.

The current roster looks to have a dearth of forwards. The Class of 2023 includes both TJ Power and Sean Stewart. Both could possibly be on the roster in 2024-25 if they aren't one-and-done players. Given the lack of offers for other forwards, it seems like the Duke coaching staff expects both to stick around for a few years at least. Power has the skills and shooting to play either forward position while Stewart has the hops and possibly size to play a small-ball 5 role. Even if both are Blue Devils, there could be room for Stevenson as another rangy, bouncy, forward that can play and defend multiple positions. If Duke is serious about landing Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer in the Class of 2025, a one-and-done (or grad transfer) at the 4 would make a lot of sense.

Stevenson may very well end up in baby blue. On the other hand, perhaps the Duke coaching staff can turn his head slightly towards Durham.

[heyman25]

Is Duke still in the hunt for Dylan Harper,Isaiah Evans and the Pittsboro prospect, Jarin Stevenson ?

[heyman25]

Also any interest by Cunningham in Duke?
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ge-eligibility

[DavidBenAkiva]

Is Duke still in the hunt for Dylan Harper,Isaiah Evans and the Pittsboro prospect, Jarin Stevenson ?

I haven't seen anything about Cunningham and Duke in a while. No idea if the coaching staff is attending the OTE games or maintaining contact. My guess is that they have moved on from him.

Harper remains a top priority as best I can tell. He has an offer and recently made an official visit.

Stevenson made a visit to Duke just last week. I haven't seen an offer go out.

I'm not sure about Evens.

[bshrader]

I haven't seen anything about Cunningham and Duke in a while. No idea if the coaching staff is attending the OTE games or maintaining contact. My guess is that they have moved on from him.

Harper remains a top priority as best I can tell. He has an offer and recently made an official visit.

Stevenson made a visit to Duke just last week. I haven't seen an offer go out.

I'm not sure about Evens.

I know Carolina has made Stevenson a priority in their recruiting, FWIW.

[gumbomoop]

I don't see Duke getting involved with [Liam] McNeeley.

Hope they change their mind. I’ve posted some comments on the ‘23 thread re McNeely (‘24), which I’ll repeat here.

Watching (ESPNU) Montverde v. La Lumiere. McNeely easily best player in this game. No one else, including little-used (??) Cooper Flagg and Sean Stewart (who’s played better second half), come close to McNeely in this game. McNeely is everywhere, doing everything well, alert, smart, hustle, D, driving, shooting.

ETA — McNeely just hit a sweet teardrop, then set up Stewart for slam, next another interior pass for another assist. With 2:18 remaining, McNeely has 27 of his team’s 55 points. And some rebounds and nice assists.

In weird news, I think Cooper Flagg (‘25) has not played second half, and does not appear injured. Equally weird, the announcers have not noticed... Ah, they just noticed, with less than a minute remaining. Said he played a total of 7 minutes.

[UrinalCake]

A couple days late here but Duke made Dylan Harper’s final five

https://twitter.com/TravisBranham_/s...418189824?s=20

[bshrader]

FWIW, Naas Cunningham cut his list to 5 today, and we made his final 5. I havent heard much in the way of his recruiting recently, so that ship may have sailed.

[heyman25]

Memphis Kansas UCLA Rutgers and Duke. I think Duke has a chance.

[brevity]

FWIW, Naas Cunningham cut his list to 5 today, and we made his final 5.

Memphis Kansas UCLA Rutgers and Duke. I think Duke has a chance.

20 percent, according to my calculations.

[tommy]

Smart money is on him not playing college basketball at all.

[heyman25]

Also any interest by Cunningham in Duke?
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ge-eligibility

Ex Duke player was Cunningham's HS Coach. Andy Borman apparently is assistant Coach at Memphis. Guess Memphis is on the inside track for Cunningham.



https://www.zagsblog.com/2023/02/17/...isits-memphis/

[JasonEvans]

Ex Duke player was Cunningham's HS Coach. Andy Borman apparently is assistant Coach at Memphis. Guess Memphis is on the inside track for Cunningham.

https://www.zagsblog.com/2023/02/17/...isits-memphis/

Andy Borman wasn't Cunningham's high school coach, he was his AAU coach for the NY Rens AAU team.

Worth noting that Kyle Filipowski also played for the NY Renaissance AAU team that was coached by Borman.

And while I am sure Borman will work his butt off to lure Cunningham to Memphis, I am betting that he will also tell Naas that Duke is a pretty darn good alternative.

-Jason "for those who may be confused, Borman was a walk-on at Duke and is Coach K's nephew" Evans

[sagegrouse]

Andy Borman wasn't Cunningham's high school coach, he was his AAU coach for the NY Rens AAU team.

Worth noting that Kyle Filipowski also played for the NY Renaissance AAU team that was coached by Borman.

And while I am sure Borman will work his butt off to lure Cunningham to Memphis, I am betting that he will also tell Naas that Duke is a pretty darn good alternative.

-Jason "for those who may be confused, Borman was a walk-on at Duke and is Coach K's nephew" Evans

Andy Borman's grandad is astronaut Frank Borman who flew in Gemjni and Apollo 8 missions.

[bshrader]

Potential Duke target Isaiah Evans dropped 62 points last night for North Mecklenburg in the state quarterfinals.

[DavidBenAkiva]

247Sports has updated their rankings for the Class of 2024.

Dylan Harper moved up to #2 overall in the class
Naas Cunningham remains in the top 10 and is #7 overall
Isaiah Evans joins the top 10 at #10 overall
Jarin Stephenson, a 6'10" PF considered a heavy UNC lean that recently visited Duke, is #12 overall.
Bryson Tucker, previously a top-10 player, fell to #23 overall
Tyler Betsey, a 6'8" F that can play on the wing, is a big riser in the rankings, going from 69th to 26th in the latest rankings
Rakease Passmore, a 6'5" wing with elite athleticism, holds steady at #44 overall
Duke-commit Darren Harris also stays in relatively the same spot and is #47 overall

https://247sports.com/Season/2024-Ba...oup=HighSchool

Of note for the ACC, UNC had a mixed bag in the latest updates. North Carolina remains the clear #1 recruiting class for 2024. Ian Jackson, a 6'4" SG, is the top-rated recruit for the Tar Heels and is #5 overall. Elliot Cadeau, a 6'1" lightning-quick PG, is #11 overall. A bit of a surprise is the rise of Drake Powell. He moved all the way up to #19 overall after the winter high school season. On the downside, 6'9" big man James Brown fell from the top 25 or so down to #50 overall.

Other ACC commits include 6'6" SG Paul McNeil for NC State (#38), 6'4" SG Elijah Moore for Syracuse (#69), and 6'5" SF AJ Swinton for Virginia Tech (#125)

[DavidBenAkiva]

Class of 2024 wing Isaiah Evans, a skinny 6'7" kid from NC, announced on Twitter that he has received an offer from Duke. He recently visited and seemed to enjoy his time on campus. He also scored 62 in a game within the last month. He has a Brandon Ingram physique but more of a wing than college 4.

https://twitter.com/isaiahevans26/st...mPRZ_VJnd-8fxA

The interest appears mutual.

[Dukehk]

Andy Borman wasn't Cunningham's high school coach, he was his AAU coach for the NY Rens AAU team.

Worth noting that Kyle Filipowski also played for the NY Renaissance AAU team that was coached by Borman.

And while I am sure Borman will work his butt off to lure Cunningham to Memphis, I am betting that he will also tell Naas that Duke is a pretty darn good alternative.

-Jason "for those who may be confused, Borman was a walk-on at Duke and is Coach K's nephew" Evans

You'd have to be insane to go to memphis if you're a projected high draft pick.

Especially when Duke is offering you.