2023 Men's Basketball Recruiting

[JasonEvans]

Who knows about his decision? But yes he's Class of '23. He's going to be on a loaded Sierra Canyon team this year, where he won't be anywhere close to the best player or the #1 option. I'm planning on seeing them play again this year and look forward to see how he has improved since I last saw him two years ago.

So "loaded" doesn't even begin to describe this roster.

Bronnie is a junior and will be playing with the following seniors -- Amari Bailey (#1 player in the 247 rankings for 2022), Kijani Wright (#20), Ramel Lloyd (#83), Max Allen (#221), and Shy Odom (#224)

Umm, that's ridiculous.

Of course, it has nothing on IMG Academy, which has these guys from the class of 2022 -- Keyonte George (#3), Jarase Walker (#8), Jaden Bradley (#14), Eric Dailey (#34), Jett Howard (#36), Justin Taylor (#63), AJ Storr (#78), and Noah Batchelor (#160).

There's a pretty good argument that if you took the IMG roster and just put it on a college team the next year, you'd have a real national title contender.

[JasonEvans]

It would appear the Mgbako visit is going well so far...

[dukelifer]

It would appear the Mgbako visit is going well so far...

I like that the highlights of this kid is him taking jumpers. Looks like a really good athlete and player.

[budwom]

Interesting to read guys like Mgbako refer to our former stars like Zion. For top recruits these days, perhaps they're more impressed by notable recent alums than by national titles? Why not join the club...

[dukelifer]

Interesting to read guys like Mgbako refer to our former stars like Zion. For top recruits these days, perhaps they're more impressed by notable recent alums than by national titles? Why not join the club...

The “brotherhood” is the best college branding ever. Not sure who came up with that.

[DavidBenAkiva]

The “brotherhood” is the best college branding ever. Not sure who came up with that.

I believe that was Jeff Capel

[DoubleBlue]

The “brotherhood” is the best college branding ever. Not sure who came up with that.

I believe it was around 2016 when the Brotherhood became a brand, but it resonated with former Duke players going back to pre-K - Gminski, Banks, Dennard. It was used first for the class of 2017 - Bagley, Carter, Trent, Duval and then Kyrie Irving who was already in the NBA, popularized the term. Zion used the term in his 2018 annoucement for selecting Duke and the rest is history. The Brotherhood was solidified by the annual Coach K Academies as a showcase for past and present players to congregate and share their common experiences.

[Spanarkel]

Coach Scheyer and one assistant were in LaPorte, IN yesterday to watch 6'2" PG Jeremy Fears(2023/Joliet, IL now playing at LaLumiere).

[Spanarkel]

Re: Jeremy Fears(2023)
https://twitter.com/daily_hoosier/st...413955072?s=20

[DavidBenAkiva]

Re: Jeremy Fears(2023)
https://twitter.com/daily_hoosier/st...413955072?s=20

La Lumiere is also the home of Class of 2022 G JJ Starling. I'm pretty sure the Duke staff were there to watch Starling. Starling is a combo guard that plays both on and off the ball. With Duke looking like they are a lock to get their top PG prospect in Caleb Foster, and already having Jaylen Blakes as a freshman and the possibility that Jeremy Roach could also be in the mix as a senior, I seriously doubt Duke was taking a hard look at Fears. La Lumiere has a ton of high-major D1 prospects on its team. I guess it couldn't hurt to scout the whole roster just in case.

[Neals384]

My understanding is that his name is pronounced with a silent "g" and the emphasis on the second syllable, like "mh-BAH-koh". It is a name of Nigerian decent, I believe.

Can hardly wait for the post "Welcome to Duke, Silent G II"

[DevilYouKnow]

I believe it was around 2016 when the Brotherhood became a brand, but it resonated with former Duke players going back to pre-K - Gminski, Banks, Dennard. It was used first for the class of 2017 - Bagley, Carter, Trent, Duval and then Kyrie Irving who was already in the NBA, popularized the term. Zion used the term in his 2018 annoucement for selecting Duke and the rest is history. The Brotherhood was solidified by the annual Coach K Academies as a showcase for past and present players to congregate and share their common experiences.

Carolina's version, "The Family" sounds like a Mansonesque cult.

[TywinBlue]

Carolina's version, "The Family" sounds like a Mansonesque cult.

The Adams Family ?

The Manson Family ?

The Gambino Family ?

The Family Circus ?

[jaywilliams22]

We're up to 5 total predictions for Mackenzie Mgbako (#6 in 2023) between 24/7 and Crystal Ball predictions.

https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Ba...etPredictions/

[JasonEvans]

We're up to 5 total predictions for Mackenzie Mgbako (#6 in 2023) between 24/7 and Crystal Ball predictions.

https://247sports.com/Season/2023-Ba...etPredictions/

We also have a slew of predictions, including a recent one from a NC State guru who picked us with a confidence of 9, for PG Caleb Foster, who is rated as the #12 prospect in the class. Mgbako is the #6 prospect in 2023. Duke is also considered the early favorite for wing Bronny James, who is ranked #26.

By the way, Bronny is an interesting case as I suspect the pro outfits won't have much appeal because Bronny obviously does not need money and knows that "building his brand" is really important and that will be better accomplished by attending a high-profile college program than playing for the G-League or Overtime Elite. Plus, I suspect the NIL opportunities for Bronny are going to be unlike anything we have seen thus far.

-Jason "are the top top players going to be drawn to play with Bronny, basking in the spotlight he will bring, or will they shy away because they want to be seen at the biggest draw on their own team? Will be interesting to see how that plays out" Evans

[DavidBenAkiva]

We also have a slew of predictions, including a recent one from a NC State guru who picked us with a confidence of 9, for PG Caleb Foster, who is rated as the #12 prospect in the class. Mgbako is the #6 prospect in 2023. Duke is also considered the early favorite for wing Bronny James, who is ranked #26.

By the way, Bronny is an interesting case as I suspect the pro outfits won't have much appeal because Bronny obviously does not need money and knows that "building his brand" is really important and that will be better accomplished by attending a high-profile college program than playing for the G-League or Overtime Elite. Plus, I suspect the NIL opportunities for Bronny are going to be unlike anything we have seen thus far.

-Jason "are the top top players going to be drawn to play with Bronny, basking in the spotlight he will bring, or will they shy away because they want to be seen at the biggest draw on their own team? Will be interesting to see how that plays out" Evans

Is Duke still considered a favorite for Bronny? There was one crystal ball pick for Duke on 247Sports, but that was way back in November 2018. Obviously, there's a connection between LeBron and Coach K from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. But Coach K isn't going to be the head guy if and when Bronny goes to college. There hasn't been any indication that HCIW Scheyer or the staff have made an attempt to see Bronny over the summer when he was at Peach Jam. They have extended offers to several players in the Class of 2023, but not Bronny. I wonder if there's still a connection there.

[907bluedevils]

Caleb Foster just committed to Duke.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/sta...460257792?s=20

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Caleb Foster just committed to Duke.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/sta...460257792?s=20

Holy smokes.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Not one to just sit around and bask in the glory of his early returns, HCIW Jon Scheyer will be heading up to New Hampshire this week to check on 6'9" PG/SG/W/Unicorn Mata Buzelis. Jake Weingarten reports Illinois and UNC are there today with Scheyer in town tomorrow. The Lithuanian-born player is stateside and receiving a ton of interest. He's very skinny, at around 175 lbs. He looks like he has the body of Shaun Livingston, although the jumper looks a lot more reliable. Buzelis is getting a lot of high-major offers already. Will Duke be able to keep it rolling?

[907bluedevils]

I'm big on Canadian Elijah Fisher, I think if he was stateside he would be in the talks for the top spot in 2023. Any word if we are showing interest?