It appears Shelton Henderson and Acaden Lewis are both making their college decisions on Nov 2nd. Shelton at 1:30pm and Acaden at 2pm EST. Would love to see them both rocking Duke apparel during their announcements!
If there's anybody who could handpick his class this year, it's Danny Hurley. He has notably not prioritized the big name OADs.
Three commited recruits: SG Mullins (16), CG Adams (22), PF Reibe (27). Recruiting multi-year guys who fit his system.
The competition for Acaden has been Kentucky for a while now. UConn getting Adams and Mullins make them a pretty unlikely destination for yet another scoring guard.Maybe good news for our Lewis recruitment. Hurley trying to signal that he didn't lose another recruit to Duke but that he's just done?
The competition for Acaden has been Kentucky for a while now.
23. Nikola Bundalo (6-9 PF): 4 finalists are Connecticut, Michigan State, Ohio State, and UNC
I don't think Lewis is now destined for Duke, but who knows these days? Two Boozers, Henderson and Ament and Khamenia look to be the desired class....Hard to imagine us getting both but if we did, it seems like it would lock us in as the #1 recruiting class, no matter what Nate Ament ultimately decides.
Who’s next?
It appears Shelton Henderson and Acaden Lewis are both making their college decisions on Nov 2nd. Shelton at 1:30pm and Acaden at 2pm EST. Would love to see them both rocking Duke apparel during their announcements!
Saw posted on another board that Jon flew in to visit Nate Ament this morning after Calipari was with him this weekend. Maybe that recruitment is heating up? Sounds like Ament is still a priority for this class.
There are other boards?
I saw this too -- Dushawn London of 247 Sports reported it -- and I would draw the same conclusion about Nate Ament continuing to be a priority.
I don't believe it ever cooled, they want him badly.Saw posted on another board that Jon flew in to visit Nate Ament this morning after Calipari was with him this weekend. Maybe that recruitment is heating up? Sounds like Ament is still a priority for this class.
Can Duke NIL afford two top 5 guys in a class along with all the other 4 and 5 stars on the roster? I have no idea.
But if we can, it's a VERY good sign for Scheyer's opportunity to create a program that is in the hunt for a final four every season.
Well, I have been told there is most assuredly a budget and that the Duke NIL operation is not a blank check. I believe that the small group of folks who have been doing it so far would like to get more (rich) people on board. They want to keep it small but need it to be bigger than it currently is.I'm pretty confident Duke NIL can afford anything it wants in basketball. I presume we have no shortage of deep pocketed basketball supporters. I know Jason has alluded to a small group of committed supporters, but I suspect if we needed to do something above and beyond we could.
The above is absolutely true. There are kids Duke talks to who want to know about NIL first and foremost and who want to play for the highest bidder. For the most part, Duke has avoided kids like that and tries to explain that Duke offers more than just a check from some boosters. Duke is a major leader in helping to arrange real sponsorship opportunities, not just pay for play from boosters. Kids who really become Duke targets are given significant presentations that talk about the long-term value of being part of The Brotherhood and the Duke alumni network. The presentation also talks about the value to a player's brand in being part of the biggest program in college basketball.That said, do we need to do something above and beyond? It seems that Jon's approach has been to not get involved with bidding wars and instead try to surgically choose his players that want to buy in and leverage the Duke brand/platform. Can it persist? I hope so.
Well, I have been told there is most assuredly a budget and that the Duke NIL operation is not a blank check. I believe that the small group of folks who have been doing it so far would like to get more (rich) people on board. They want to keep it small but need it to be bigger than it currently is.
The above is absolutely true. There are kids Duke talks to who want to know about NIL first and foremost and who want to play for the highest bidder. For the most part, Duke has avoided kids like that and tries to explain that Duke offers more than just a check from some boosters. Duke is a major leader in helping to arrange real sponsorship opportunities, not just pay for play from boosters. Kids who really become Duke targets are given significant presentations that talk about the long-term value of being part of The Brotherhood and the Duke alumni network. The presentation also talks about the value to a player's brand in being part of the biggest program in college basketball.
I have seen estimates that Duke is somewhere around 10-15th in terms of NIL payouts... and yet we seem to sign the top recruiting class in the land pretty much every year. We routinely find ourselves up against programs that are offering more and yet Duke wins the battles it wants to win almost every time. It is quite clear that Jon Scheyer and the rest of the folks involved in all this have made it clear that they offer something more than just dollars to recruits.
I hope AJ Dybantsa enjoys his time at BYU playing in relative obscurity.
I hope AJ Dybantsa enjoys his time at BYU playing in relative obscurity.
If only Duke were using cutting edge technology, like Skype. That would land the best recruits that so brand-conscious.