A Bit of Optimism

[jaywilliams22]

Moore will likely be back. Goldwire might come back if we're short of guards. Keels is still a real possibility on the recruiting front. We can't count on any of that (or Steward, for that matter), but we shouldn't count against it, either.

Agreed with all of this. However, with that being said, I'm not 100% sure where Moore fits in that lineup. I'd imagine he'd be the 6th man. Griffin would undoubtedly start over him. I've been a big believer that Griffin will end up being the best player in this class.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Agreed with all of this. However, with that being said, I'm not 100% sure where Moore fits in that lineup. I'd imagine he'd be the 6th man. Griffin would undoubtedly start over him. I've been a big believer that Griffin will end up being the best player in this class.

Griffin has an injury history and hasn't played basically all year. Baldwin, should he commit to Duke, has been injured all year as well. I have a feeling that Moore is more important to next year's team than many expect.

[CDu]

Griffin has an injury history and hasn't played basically all year. Baldwin, should he commit to Duke, has been injured all year as well. I have a feeling that Moore is more important to next year's team than many expect.

Griffin had a scary but minor knee injury last year, but came back and was fine. He hasn’t played this year because his team is having trouble scheduling opponents. I wouldn’t be concerned about his physical readiness. Baldwin will miss another few weeks to a month with his ankle injury, but he should be fine. If Baldwin commits, I would expect both Griffin and Baldwin to be starters.

As for Moore, there is a very real possibility he would be a reserve next year. Bordering on certainty if Baldwin commits. I certainly hope Moore stays and plays starter minutes in whatever role he has, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he declared rather than go to the bench. Especially if he keeps playing as he has the past 3-4 games.

[BobBender]

Moore will likely be back. Goldwire might come back if we're short of guards. Keels is still a real possibility on the recruiting front. We can't count on any of that (or Steward, for that matter), but we shouldn't count against it, either.

I’ve read that Kentucky is sniffing around Keels now. While i totally understand Keels’ need to see how rosters pan out after this “free” year, i don’t know what to make of that other than he may see himself as a one year college player.

[MCFinARL]

Yes, but we also need to wait for our turn.

As to the original post, I like the idea that there is a high school senior (or redshirt college freshman) out there who will be wearing a Duke jersey on the final night of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, if not sooner.

You must spread, etc. etc. As someone who is old enough to have just been offered my turn (next week), I appreciated this one.

[Kedsy]

I’ve read that Kentucky is sniffing around Keels now. While i totally understand Keels’ need to see how rosters pan out after this “free” year, i don’t know what to make of that other than he may see himself as a one year college player.

I agree with your assessment, but even if that's his goal, Keels was ranked #17 in the RSCI Summer rankings and he's dropped since then in ESPN and Rivals, so it remains to be seen whether he's good enough to actually be OAD.