2021 Men's Basketball Recruiting Thread

[CameronBlue]

Crackerjacks and a PBJ is the breakfast of national champions.

And puppies. Our Yorkie loves peanuts and peanut butter.

[budwom]

Indications looking VERY good for Keels; will he be enough to lure PBJ to the fold? That would be quite the class...

[Jaks19]

What makes you feel VERY good about landing his commitment? All 3 of his remaining schools could all feel the same way.

[jaywilliams22]

Not that the Crystal Ball is all that important, but 2 Duke "insiders" picked Keels for Duke yesterday.

https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitut...rtPredictions/

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I’m not big with the whole Instagram thing but my teenage son says that Keels follows more Duke accounts than he does any other school. So there’s that as well... I guess.

[heyman25]

For Keels might be down to Duke or Villanova. UVA got a wing from New Zealand.
https://www.zagsblog.com/2020/09/13/...-taine-murray/

[Music man55]

I hope that Keels' friendship with Roach will be a deciding factor in him committing to the Blue Devils. Having that happen and then grabbing the Baldwin kid would be perhaps one of the best classes ever! Fingers Crossed!!

[budwom]

What makes you feel VERY good about landing his commitment? All 3 of his remaining schools could all feel the same way.

the one guy I know of who posts at the Devils Den who has great contacts and knowledge feels very good, so I do, too...of course anything can happen...

[JasonEvans]

I feel great about having one of Keels or DJ Steward on the team next season... both of them may be tough, especially with Griffin coming in and Baker's senior season sucking up a lot of the wing minutes. That said, both Keels and Steward are described by the pundits as "combo guards" which means they both could probably slip over to PG to relieve Roach a bit in 2021. In that case, there would seem to be room for both guys to play a significant role on the team next season.

-Jason "I'm assuming Wendell Moore will leave after this year... if he is back the wing minutes get really squeezed" Evans

[jv001]

I feel great about having one of Keels or DJ Steward on the team next season... both of them may be tough, especially with Griffin coming in and Baker's senior season sucking up a lot of the wing minutes. That said, both Keels and Steward are described by the pundits as "combo guards" which means they both could probably slip over to PG to relieve Roach a bit in 2021. In that case, there would seem to be room for both guys to play a significant role on the team next season.

-Jason "I'm assuming Wendell Moore will leave after this year... if he is back the wing minutes get really squeezed" Evans

And I would assume Wendell's play would have been very good and I like that idea.

GoDuke!

[heyman25]

Any news on Keels and Baldwin? All quiet on the recruiting front.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Any news on Keels and Baldwin? All quiet on the recruiting front.

Not really, no. Duke and all other suitors are in wait-and-see mode with Baldwin and Keels.

For what it's worth, Eric Bossi at Rivals had his Twitter Tuesday pot up today and spent a few words on Baldwin. He, like nearly everyone else, suggests Duke is in a good position but that the allure of playing for his father at UW Milwaukee might hold real appeal for the young man.

We shall see.

[Jedweb]

Enjoy the opinions and (at least occasionally) facts posted on this board, and I visit it just about every day. I certainly hope we get Messrs Baldwin and Keels and K gets (at a minimum) his Fifth. I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge, or informed speculation, why Duke seems to have shown no interest in Chet Holmgren. He's string bean thin, but so was Mike Dunleavy (almost). From my mostly uninformed perspective it seems that Holmgren is a player whose name came to prominence fairly late in the day, but good grief, some of the crystal ball gazers have him as the number one prospect in his class. It seems to me that he's had a meteoric ascent in the opinion of evaluators. Why no Duke interest (if, in fact, there is none)? Jim know? David Ben A?

[jimsumner]

Enjoy the opinions and (at least occasionally) facts posted on this board, and I visit it just about every day. I certainly hope we get Messrs Baldwin and Keels and K gets (at a minimum) his Fifth.

Not a math major, I gather. Or a history major.

[Jedweb]

Whoops! That's embarrassing, and I hadn't even gotten into the sherry.
But seriously, does anyone have an informed opinion?

[bullettoothtony]

Whoops! That's embarrassing, and I hadn't even gotten into the sherry.
But seriously, does anyone have an informed opinion?

I've certainly wondered the same thing at various times. Only thing I've read is that he wasn't interested in Duke at all. No idea if it's true.

[UrinalCake]

I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge, or informed speculation, why Duke seems to have shown no interest in Chet Holmgren.

Holmgren appears on this podcast along with our very own Paolo Banchero, an informal interview where they a variety of topics from how they spent their summers, the prospect of getting paid NIL money, and their rankings of current NBA players. Both kids sound very mature and well-spoken. No idea why we didn't pursue Holmgren harder, other than we probably expect Mark Williams to be on our roster next season.

Homgren does talk a little about his recruiting process (no bombshells dropped) and says that the pandemic has limited his ability to visit schools and that has had a big impact on his timeline for making a decision.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Enjoy the opinions and (at least occasionally) facts posted on this board, and I visit it just about every day. I certainly hope we get Messrs Baldwin and Keels and K gets (at a minimum) his Fifth. I'd appreciate anyone with knowledge, or informed speculation, why Duke seems to have shown no interest in Chet Holmgren. He's string bean thin, but so was Mike Dunleavy (almost). From my mostly uninformed perspective it seems that Holmgren is a player whose name came to prominence fairly late in the day, but good grief, some of the crystal ball gazers have him as the number one prospect in his class. It seems to me that he's had a meteoric ascent in the opinion of evaluators. Why no Duke interest (if, in fact, there is none)? Jim know? David Ben A?

I have uninformed opinions on Holmgren. To me, he's the best or maybe second best prospect in the Class of 2021. He has the highest ceiling as a true unicorn of the game. His frame doesn't bother me. Players put on weight when they go from 16 to 23. Look at Anthony Davis, a kid at 15 that was 6'2" 175 lbs (roughly similar to DJ Steward) to a being north of 6'10" 240 lbs as an NBA player. The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo is another example of a "glow up." What I really care about is what he does on the court. And Holmgren does a lot. As I hope we see with Matthew Hurt and what we saw tih Ryan Kelly before him, adding weight in the form of core and upper body strength is going to unlock even more potential. What he offers now is a kid that can alter shots around the rim with his incredible length, instincts, and lateral. He can grab a rebound and take the ball up the court with his ball-handling skills, moving around players in the open floor or employing a crossover to get past his man. He can spot up to shoot a three. He's a pretty good passer, too. Obviously, he can see the floor easily enough from way up there. With added strength, I think he'll be able to fulfill nearly any role you'd want out of an NBA center or forward. He doesn't have a history of injuries, either, from what I know. So he gives teams the coveted ability to both protect the rim and play with pace and space. This is what NBA teams want right now out of the center position and he has all of it. He just needs to time to grow and refine his skills. The floor is quite high and the ceiling is higher than anyone else with the possible exception of Patrick Baldwin, Jr. or Paolo Banchero.

PBJ and Paolo Banchero are the other two guys in a tier of their own as top prospects for both the college and NBA game. Banchero, in my mind, has the highest floor of the three. He has the strength and length to compete in the college and NBA game right now. He has good touch on his jumper all the way out to the 3-point line. He is a good passer. His handle is very good for a big man. Banchero and Baldwin do not wow you with their explosive first step. I think Holmgren, from what I've seen, has the best first step. But they are all deceptively quick. All three of them are 6'9"+ so when they take a stride, they are really moving. But it's not as explosive as, say Marvin Bagley III. They are gazelles rather than lions. There is more glide than pounce. Where i think Banchero may have an advantage is that he can physically get wherever he wants right now and in the future. We saw with Zion how he was able to translate his body weight into positioning and then use his skills and light touch to get the ball softly on the rim. Banchero is able to do some of that, but not at the level of Zion. Banchero is an inside-outside guy that is just as comfortable having the ball in his hands at the top of the key where he can drive or spot up for a jumper as he is with his back to the basket. I think he's more comfortable facing up, in fact. And then, with his extremely high basketball IQ and instincts, he can go after missed shots and clean them up. He's got a good wingspan to go with the size and bounce. He's going to be a load to deal with in the college game.

Where Baldwin has the edge is his deadly shot. His athleticism is somewhere on par with Jayson Tatum or Luol Deng. He is not an explosive leaper by any means but he is good enough at 6'9"-6'10" to get to the rim. And then the length comes into play. He may be the most advanced shooter to come out of high school in a long time. I'm not saying he's a good shooter for his height, I'm saying he's a great shooter compared to anyone. The dude has flawless mechanics when his feet are set as well as off the dribble. The release is high and quick. He can get to his shot anytime, anywhere on the court. The defense is going to have to have a man on him at all times. That creates space for his teammates because you can't guard him with someone shorter than, say, 6'6". And if he is guarded by a bigger player, he has the handle and length to get around him. He's also adept at facilitating and isn't so selfish that he will force shots. In fact, he might be a little too unselfish at times, although I've read Ross Homan's writing enough to see that he has asserted himself more as a high school junior than he did during the 2019 AAU circuit when he was playing for Phenom U with Jalen Johnson and Jaemyn Brakefield. In 2019, Baldwin seems more willing to defer to Jalen Johnson. In high school, he was more assertive and willing to impose his will on the offense. The one thing that does come up with Baldwin right now is that he is not the most aware or engaged defender. That can change and he seems to be aware of it from various quotes I've seen lately. The upside for him is that he becomes a Klay Thompson-like player that plays at both ends and drains shots as a primary or secondary scorer. Klay isn't the best athlete, either, so Baldwin has good models for success in the NBA. Because if his shooting translates to higher levels of competition - and it hasn't been a problem in AAU in the past - then he has an elite skillset that any team would want.

Now, as for Holmgren and Duke, I have no idea why the connection wasn't made. I am not an insider. I've read here or there than his AAU coach doesn't like Duke all that much for whatever reason. Jalen Suggs was someone on Duke's radar and played on the same AAU team with Holmgren. Suggs is going to be a freshman at Gonzaga this season. There seems to be strong interest there between Holmgren and the 'Zags. Maybe Duke felt comfortable with a frontcourt of Banchero and Mark Williams. I feel great about that combo, if Williams is a multi-year guy as most expect. Williams offers a lot of the defensive upside as Holmgren as a shot blocker and rim-runner and seems to have a reasonable jumper, too. I doubt he shoots many, but he may surprise, like Wendell Carter, Jr. At any rate, Williams is older, more physically developed, and roughly as tall and long as Holmgren. And Banchero has nearly as high an upside offensively as Holmgren. Sometimes, you have to be pleased with you got. I'm thrilled, personally. At the end of the day, Holmgren or his family or camp didn't have Duke all that high on his list or Duke didn't have Holmgren all that high on theirs. It happens. Best of luck to the young man. I'll be watching him play and hoping he can reach his immense potential.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Top Class of 2021 F Caleb Houstan will be announcing a final four group of schools next week. Tipton Edits is reporting he'll release his short list on October 7th.

Duke was on the long list of schools that included Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas Tech, UNC, and Virginia.

I know that Duke has been in the ear of Houstan but there hasn't been a ton of information one way or the other about the rest of the field. The Canadian and Montverde Academy standout is a talented shooter at 6'8". In 2019, he led Team Canada in the Under 16 nationals in scoring.

I'm assuming that it's mutually exclusive between Houstan and Patrick Baldwin, Jr.

[bullettoothtony]

Yeah, can anyone confirm that Houstan and Baldwin are mutually exclusive?

I would think so but I've read some speculation that Houstan might replace Keels. This is more fan speculation though.