2020 Duke men's basketball recruiting

[Steven43]

Yeah, but our players attend more classes in one year than UNC’s players do in four 8-)

Excellent point

[jimsumner]

There's an element of cherry picking in this argument, as, obviously, OAD did not exist before 2006. How would you feel about Duke basketball history (and what would the Cameron rafters look like) if the rule had been present in the "golden era?" So many of the Duke players who are remembered most fondly here would have gone OAD in a minute, given the chance. Duke, minus Laettner, Hurley, Redick, Battier, Gminski, Hill, Dawkins, Banks, etc etc, would have been a shadow of what it became if they had shunned "OAD's" in that earlier era. I love Grayson, Amile, Quinn, and Matt, but no way in the world they win the natty without Jahlil, Justise, and Tyus. I'd gladly reluctantly wave goodbye to them after one year in return for the joy of the Championship.

Duke has always recruited the best available players. That, and K's genius, are why we have had such an unbelievable run. And I love watching our OAD's in the NBA, and to me, they are as much a part of the Brotherhood as their predecessors.

Every one of these players could have gone to the NBA after their freshmen seasons, as did Corey Maggette in 1999. Magic Johnson was a contemporary of Gene Banks and Johnson went NBA after two college seasons. J.J. Redick stayed four years at Duke after Duke had lost eight players early to the NBA.

What's different is the age limit that precludes most high-schoolers from going directly to the NBA. But early NBA entry did not become a thing in 2006. It became a thing when Spencer Haywood won his famous court case in the early 1970s.

[BLPOG]

I agree with Jason. While I was at Duke there were plenty of my classmates who really did not work very hard for various reasons, some better than others. I had a few classes where I certainly did not try very hard. It really isn't that hard to create a schedule at Duke and graduate without putting in too much effort in those classes. Your GPA will likely reflect this lack of effort, but you can probably pass all of your classes and get the degree.

I don't really want to contribute to the persistence of this topic's distraction from 2020 Duke men's basketball recruiting, but I have a quibble with CrazyNotCrazie's post, specifically related to the section I put in boldface.

I don't like the "the" there. Many people can manage to get a degree from Duke without too strenuous an effort, but the selection of classes is constrained by the major. So they can get a degree, but maybe not a specific degree.

No engineers graduate without effort (and there aren't really that many majors that truly permit coasting, though there is considerable variability between majors in intra-major class difficult variability).

[BD80]

And don't forget Abbott & Costello.

Who?

[JasonEvans]

Who?

[SouthernDukie]

"What? I don't know."

UNC's fight song, I believe.

[bullettoothtony]

I agree with Jason. While I was at Duke there were plenty of my classmates who really did not work very hard for various reasons, some better than others. I had a few classes where I certainly did not try very hard. It really isn't that hard to create a schedule at Duke and graduate without putting in too much effort in those classes. Your GPA will likely reflect this lack of effort, but you can probably pass all of your classes and get the degree.

I'm not sure why Jason's comment seemed so offensive. Some of the students who were not working very hard were doing it for very good reasons - personal problems, focusing on one specific class or a thesis at the expense of other classes, etc. I had a semester where I was dealing with some significant personal issues and didn't focus very hard on academics, and my grades suffered as a result, and another semester where I was very focused on non-academic pursuits and my GPA also dipped slightly that semester. When I was applying to grad school a few years later and my Duke GPA was part of my application, part of me wished I had focused more on my grades, but the decision was definitely the right one for me at the time.

Duke '94, and I agree with Jason and Crazy. Not much to add. The feedback I've gotten over the years is that most comparable schools (Ivey League, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, etc.) are like this. You can take advantage of the enormous resources at schools like this, get involved and challenge yourself, or you can coast, relatively speaking. I saw plenty of both.

[golfinesquire]

Moreover, this appears to be true at almost every school. What is the purpose, for example, of "American Studies" at Yale?

Exactly. You don't think that there are students at Harvard and Stanford that have figured out ways to skate by? Even where I went, which was a small school where sports occupy a far less important place to campus life then at the big schools and where admissions was fairly competitive, there were a few members of the football team who talked about being able to skate by for much of their time there.

[Kfanarmy]

UC, that’s why Duke doesn’t give one-year bachelor’s degrees. Because doing it for just one year doesn’t mean a whole lot.

Depends on what you do for a year, doesn't it? pleasure to pain, boredom to excitement...a lot can happen in a year.

[budwom]

Exactly. You don't think that there are students at Harvard and Stanford that have figured out ways to skate by? Even where I went, which was a small school where sports occupy a far less important place to campus life then at the big schools and where admissions was fairly competitive, there were a few members of the football team who talked about being able to skate by for much of their time there.

yup, attached should be the link to the story about the Stanford "easy class" list for athletes...coaches at every school know how to steer the guys who need steering (I am sure Stanford has more than their share of ardent students as well).
It's the nature of the beast

https://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/03/09/1046687/

[907bluedevils]

So how about those 2020 recruits? Seems like this has gotten off track.

[Kfanarmy]

So how about those 2020 recruits? Seems like this has gotten off track.

Ditto...there should be a BU__LOAD of old material on the "one and done" argument in general. If someone has a roll up of who Duke is recruiting and where they stand, that would be informative.

[budwom]

turnert (who absolutely knows his stuff) at TDD seems pretty confident about Coleman to Duke...

[English]

Ditto...there should be a BU__LOAD of old material on the "one and done" argument in general. If someone has a roll up of who Duke is recruiting and where they stand, that would be informative.

Might I recommend https://www.verbalcommits.com/schools/duke

ETA: Some of the detail information is questionable, but it provides a roll-up of the current roster, offers and commitments. Some of the ranking information (Scottie Barnes is No. 5 recruit but isn't a 5-star?; Ziaire Williams is a 5-star but is NR?), or positional designations (e.g., Matthew Hurt is a 3, not a 4?) could use some QA.

[SkyBrickey]

Back to 2020 recruiting. I hope we get all these guys - we will have room for them - but in order of importance given the likely roster going into next season, I'd personally put them in three tiers:

1) Walker Kessler - a very important recruit and our starting center unless Vernon Carey surprises us all and sticks around for his sophomore campaign

2) Coleman/Mark Williams - would love to get both, but at least one is critical to provide front-court depth - likely multi-year guys vs the other 3 OAD recruits on the board (without these guys, the returnees the following year might just be Joey Baker, Jeremy Roach, and DJ Steward with Roach and Steward as possible OADs - crazy thought!)

3) Ziaire Williams / Jonathan Kuminga - two highly rated but thin OAD SFs - either would almost certainly start alongside Jalen Johnson

Likely joining:
Goldwire, Roach (PG)
O'Connell, Steward (SG)
Baker, Johnson (SF)

[jimsumner]

Depends on what you do for a year, doesn't it? pleasure to pain, boredom to excitement...a lot can happen in a year.

Or perhaps the horse will sing.

[JasonEvans]

If someone has a roll up of who Duke is recruiting and where they stand, that would be informative.

Committed: PG - Jeremy Roach, SG - DJ Steward, SF - Jalen Johnson ::::: While one can quibble about positions (Johnson could probably play anywhere from the 2 to the 4, Steward is a combo guard who could slide to PG if needed), these three player comprise Duke's perimeter recruiting for 2020.

• Roach was a borderline top 10 recruit before getting hurt as a junior and we are really still waiting to see how he plays as a senior. He is known as a great leader, a strong defender, and a very good passer/setup man. He's not a stud shooter, but can score when necessary. I'm not saying he will immediately remind you of Tre Jones, but their strengths and weaknesses are not all that different.
• Stewart is top 30 kinda recruit, a great shooter from the outside and a solid ballhandler. He's a willing defender, but is not really strong yet and that limits his defensive ability.
• Johnson is likely the best recruit Duke will bring in for 2020, a top 5 recruit who is almost certain to be a OAD lottery pick. He has tremendous skills for a guy his size with passing ability that makes his teammates better and a quality mid-range game. He's not known as a great long-range shooter, but seems to be improving that aspect of his game. If forced to compare him to a recent Dukie, I'd probably go with Jayson Tatum.

Top Prospects: Duke is considered the strong favorite for all three of these guys... but it is unclear if all three will commit to the same program.

• PF/C - Walker Kessler - A top 15 recruit whose father and brother played at UGA and his uncle played at UGA and in the NBA. Family really, really values academics (father is a doctor). Walker has surprisingly already eliminated Georgia from his recruiting list. He has a dizzying array of post moves, including a lethal hook shot and is skilled enough to take 3-pointers who teams sag off him. Not an elite run-jump athlete, but a physical presence inside who is a willing defender.
• C - Mark Williams - The 7-foot-tall brother of former Dukie Elizabeth Williams was once considered one of the top 5 players in his class (when he was a freshman). The scouts soured on him for a bit and he was barely a top 100 recruit but he has shown more and more skills to go with his impressive size lately and again appears to be a potential McDonald's All-American. He's an elite defender and rim protector with a great motor. He's mostly a dunker on offense, but seems to be developing a bit more of an offensive array. He attends IMG Academy, one of the top high school programs in the country, along with future Dukie Jalen Johnson.
• PF/SF - Henry Coleman - This top 40 forward is due to announce him commitment in a week with all the gurus saying he will head to Durham. A physical player who is not afraid to mix it up for rebounds or on defense. Excels at finishing through contact with good spin moves in the lane, he is not yet a strong outside shooter. Likely to be someone in the Amile Jefferson or Lance Thomas kind of mold.

Also on the radar: While other names could crop up, the consensus seems to be that these two guys are the other players to whom Duke is paying the most attention at this point

• SF - Ziaire Williams - A top 10 recruit who would rival Johnson for the title of best recruit coming to Durham if he chooses the Blue Devils. A top tier athlete who is an elite scorer, both inside and outside the 3-point line. Has a really nice pull-up jumper. Sadly, while Duke remains in the mix, the crystal ball says UNC and Stanford are the front-runners here.
• PF/SF - Jonathan Kuminga - The top recruit in the 2021 class is said to be considering a reclassification into 2020. Many say he would be the #1 recruit in 2020 if he does choose to reclass (like RJ and Marvin, who each moved up a class and stayed at #1). Whichever class he picks, the consensus is that this loooong 6-9 freak is likely to head to Durham. Is extremely adept at getting into the lane and then using his length to finish with aplomb. A strong shot-blocker and defender too. His outside shooting has really improved and is making him borderline unguardable. At the elite Peach Jam tournament this week, he was the best player in attendance and notably shut down Duke bound Jalen Johnson in one game. Whenever he plays his one year of college ball, he will very much be in the running to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft.

--Jason "my dream is to get Kessler and at least 1 of Williams or Coleman... and then either Ziaire or Kuminga. That would be yet another incredible class that would clearly again put us in the national title chase" Evans

[ricks68]

UC, I do not agree with your take at all. One does not earn a degree from Duke University — a grand achievement in my opinion — by putting forth a nominal academic effort.

I did. In one sense, I regret I did not put forth even a nominal effort, but in another, my life turned out pretty darn well.

ricks

[bullettoothtony]

Committed: PG - Jeremy Roach, SG - DJ Steward, SF - Jalen Johnson ::::: While one can quibble about positions (Johnson could probably play anywhere from the 2 to the 4, Steward is a combo guard who could slide to PG if needed), these three player comprise Duke's perimeter recruiting for 2020.

• Roach was a borderline top 10 recruit before getting hurt as a junior and we are really still waiting to see how he plays as a senior. He is known as a great leader, a strong defender, and a very good passer/setup man. He's not a stud shooter, but can score when necessary. I'm not saying he will immediately remind you of Tre Jones, but their strengths and weaknesses are not all that different.
• Stewart is top 30 kinda recruit, a great shooter from the outside and a solid ballhandler. He's a willing defender, but is not really strong yet and that limits his defensive ability.
• Johnson is likely the best recruit Duke will bring in for 2020, a top 5 recruit who is almost certain to be a OAD lottery pick. He has tremendous skills for a guy his size with passing ability that makes his teammates better and a quality mid-range game. He's not known as a great long-range shooter, but seems to be improving that aspect of his game. If forced to compare him to a recent Dukie, I'd probably go with Jayson Tatum.

Top Prospects: Duke is considered the strong favorite for all three of these guys... but it is unclear if all three will commit to the same program.

• PF/C - Walker Kessler - A top 15 recruit whose father and brother played at UGA and his uncle played at UGA and in the NBA. Family really, really values academics (father is a doctor). Walker has surprisingly already eliminated Georgia from his recruiting list. He has a dizzying array of post moves, including a lethal hook shot and is skilled enough to take 3-pointers who teams sag off him. Not an elite run-jump athlete, but a physical presence inside who is a willing defender.
• C - Mark Williams - The 7-foot-tall brother of former Dukie Elizabeth Williams was once considered one of the top 5 players in his class (when he was a freshman). The scouts soured on him for a bit and he was barely a top 100 recruit but he has shown more and more skills to go with his impressive size lately and again appears to be a potential McDonald's All-American. He's an elite defender and rim protector with a great motor. He's mostly a dunker on offense, but seems to be developing a bit more of an offensive array. He attends IMG Academy, one of the top high school programs in the country, along with future Dukie Jalen Johnson.
• PF/SF - Henry Coleman - This top 40 forward is due to announce him commitment in a week with all the gurus saying he will head to Durham. A physical player who is not afraid to mix it up for rebounds or on defense. Excels at finishing through contact with good spin moves in the lane, he is not yet a strong outside shooter. Likely to be someone in the Amile Jefferson or Lance Thomas kind of mold.

Also on the radar: While other names could crop up, the consensus seems to be that these two guys are the other players to whom Duke is paying the most attention at this point

• SF - Ziaire Williams - A top 10 recruit who would rival Johnson for the title of best recruit coming to Durham if he chooses the Blue Devils. A top tier athlete who is an elite scorer, both inside and outside the 3-point line. Has a really nice pull-up jumper. Sadly, while Duke remains in the mix, the crystal ball says UNC and Stanford are the front-runners here.
• PF/SF - Jonathan Kuminga - The top recruit in the 2021 class is said to be considering a reclassification into 2020. Many say he would be the #1 recruit in 2020 if he does choose to reclass (like RJ and Marvin, who each moved up a class and stayed at #1). Whichever class he picks, the consensus is that this loooong 6-9 freak is likely to head to Durham. Is extremely adept at getting into the lane and then using his length to finish with aplomb. A strong shot-blocker and defender too. His outside shooting has really improved and is making him borderline unguardable. At the elite Peach Jam tournament this week, he was the best player in attendance and notably shut down Duke bound Jalen Johnson in one game. Whenever he plays his one year of college ball, he will very much be in the running to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft.

--Jason "my dream is to get Kessler and at least 1 of Williams or Coleman... and then either Ziaire or Kuminga. That would be yet another incredible class that would clearly again put us in the national title chase" Evans

Jason this is great info and much appreciated.

Given your description of Kessler as such an elite post scorer I would think he might be ranked higher. Not that he's ranked low by any means... inasmuch as he might be lower than expected, is the primary reason because he's not a great athlete?

[budwom]

The old "his family values education" canard never ceases to amuse...they generally "value" it for about nine months.