2018 theoretically isn't even finalized and we're already on to 2020? I love it. Here's to another successful year of recruiting!
There's a significant likelihood that this will be the first post-OAD year (since OAD was instituted). Duke looks to be in the mix for top recruits like RJ Hampton and Isaiah Todd, but I expect we'll see both go pro straight from HS.
From what I can tell, we're also looking at Nico Mannion and Jeremy Roach. Scottie Barnes is another name I've seen mentioned, but he's a top 10 recruit.
This may be a seismic year in recruiting, particularly if K retires.
2018 theoretically isn't even finalized and we're already on to 2020? I love it. Here's to another successful year of recruiting!
If this is in fact the first year without the OAD rule, then you'll have both the high schoolers who graduated in 2020 and the previous year's class who has played one season in college. Which means it will be a really stacked class and only the really elite will be able to make the jump. Before the OAD rule was put in place, we had maybe two or three guys go straight from high school each year. Even if you assume that high schoolers are more prepared now than they were in the past, and that NBA teams have more access to evaluate the younger players via the internet, I still don't think very many players will be affected.
BTW this thread may have the lowest probability of actually staying on topic in DBR history. Already we've started on potential rule changes, recruiting OAD's, and K's retirement.
I think this is a good point, and one that I find of great interest from an economic perspective as it relates to relevant markets. Of course, there is also the ongoing litigation that may change things considerably.
So yes, a lot of factors in play for 2020 recruiting. We may end up with a new coach, no amateurism, no OAD rule...or none of those things. Still up in the air how much losing Capel will affect recruiting too.
Actually, the reports just say that it'll be 2020 at the earliest, so it could easily be 2021 or maybe even 2022. I'll be interested in seeing what the NBA owners want during negotiations. If it's something like the baseball system where time spent in the G-League doesn't count towards NBA service time (thus lengthening team control over the player), negotiations could get tricky and break down.
Hopefully Duke does a good job with 2019 recruiting so 2020 recruiting won't have to be so "seismic." I'd like to see sophomores Isaiah Stewart, Joe Girard, Wendell Moore, and Joey Baker to be on the roster already, for example.
Might be helpful to start by thinking about who might be on the roster.
Seniors: Jordan Goldwire, Alex O'Connell
Juniors: Tre Jones (?)
Sophomore: Joey Baker, TBD
The wing and guard position might have decent depth and talent. We'll need a frontcourt.
Interestingly, Capel leaving may actually signal a longer run for K. I would imagine that Capel was seen as the heir apparent and I wonder if there might have been some pressure for K to retire before Capel left. Now that Capel is at Pitt, there will be a desire to see how things work out there for him to see if he still makes sense as the heir apparent. If that is correct or not, any pressure (real or imagined) created my having Capel have to wait for K to retire, is now gone.
While I think that it is certainly possible for Jones to come back for his sophomore season, especially since his brother has taken a few years to really find consistent pt in the nba, I think 3 years is highly unlikely.
The coincidences of life can be a little funny, no? Duke loses one Wendell (Carter) after the 2018 season and quickly targets another Wendell (Moore) for the class of 2019. The top freshman in the country in 2019 will be R.J. (Barrett) and now Duke has offered another R.J. (Hampton) in the class of 2020.
R.J. Hampton, a 6'4" combo guard from Little Elm, Texas, is, I believe, the first player in the Class of 2020 to receive an offer from the Duke Blue Devils. He's a Nolan Smith type of guard, capable of breaking a man down off the dribble or pulling up for a jump shot. There's a lot of emotion in him on the court, too. He's talking, smiling, clapping hands in a lot of videos. He's a little bigger than Smith but could easily play that role of distributor or move off the ball and still be productive. Hampton is more highly touted than Smith was in his class as Hampton is a Top 5 player in the class (247 composite) at this point in his career.
Rj hampton will be in the 2019 class! K doesn't offer hs sophomores. Given his birthday he should be class 2019.
It'll be interesting to see whom we prioritize between Hampton and Cole Anthony.
I suspect Hampton will win out because of the Tre Jones factor. We're uncertain if Tre is OAD, and if sophomore Tre Jones is around, then Hampton will likely pair with him better than Anthony in the backcourt because Hampton would be more comfortable off the ball when needed to play that role. And if Tre does happen to be OAD, I'm fine with Hampton as the primary PG.