SADLY, you are correct. I've placed the orphan in a special place.
2026 Men's Basketball Recruiting
- Thread starter DavidBenAkiva
- Start date
SlapTheFloor
Member
I'm just here to talk about socks.
Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
Member
Being engaged with recruiting when players stay for 3 or 4 years feels different than when you are pulling in high school one and dones and transfers. I remember spending several seasons expecting Cherokee Parks to develop into Laettner. Say what you will about my optimism, but "player development" isn't much of a draw these days.
If a player who needs maturation and development lands at Duke, they will almost certainly transfer within 24 months. If a player at Tulane (basketball or football) lands at Duke, we see them on the backside of their collegiate career.
These things aren't objectively good or bad, but definitely change the dynamic of excitement around recruiting.
DBKilby
Member
I think Rippey is going to an Adidias school. A lot of rumblings that he already has a sponsorship in place. His dad has also been wearing an Adidas shirts on his in homes.
Curious... why would this be different... signed with Adidas then have to go to an Adidas school... than Coop, who first committed to Duke (Nike) but then signed with New Balance...
The "order" of sponsorship matters?
Phredd3
Member
This is one reason why the NCAA did not allow NIL. At this point, what's to stop Adidas (or Nike, or New Balance, or Dick's, or whatever), from saying to a high school recruit, "Yep, here's our endorsement deal. And if you choose to attend a college we also sponsor, our individual endorsement deal with you will get bigger when you get there. If you don't, well, we will 'reevaluate' your endorsement."Curious... why would this be different... signed with Adidas then have to go to an Adidas school... than Coop, who first committed to Duke (Nike) but then signed with New Balance...
How far away are we from having corporate-controlled teams? Non-profits ask for funds from the corporations, not vice versa. At what point are the universities just pass-through entities (who get a cut for their trouble, of course)? The Nike swoosh overlain directly on the Iron Duke "D".
brevity
Member
Just a reminder that Bryson Howard has scheduled an official visit to Duke this weekend, September 19-21.
5-star small forward Bryson Howard making official visit to Duke
Five-star small forward Bryson Howard will take an official visit to Duke and head coach Jon Scheyer this weekend.
dukewire.usatoday.com
I may forget to follow up, so keep an eye out for any Duke posts from his Instagram.
The Jordon Heels
DukieInBrasil
Member
You can't develop the inner fire, the will to win, the inner muthaf***r that Laettner had. Cherokee developed while at Duke, just not as much as one might have hoped for. He helped Duke reach the Finals in '94, and then went on to a relatively long albeit minor role player career in the NBA.
I kinda hope every Duke player turns into a superstar, but of course that doesn't happen.
Chicago 1995
Member
Maybe it's not out in the open like it might have been of late, but that's been going on for years. The whole Will Wade/Bill Self/Sean Miller stuff that sent Merl Code and Christian Dawkins to prison was a flavor of that very kind of inducement. Before that AAU sponsorships were in a lot of instances an indicator of a top recruit's likely destinations, and even before that, whether a guy went to the Adidas or Nike Camp was a similar early indicator of that recruits real interests.
brevity
Member
For the sake of closure, Dionte Neal announced his decision on Instagram last week: he's going to UNC Greensboro. Duke Football gave him an offer last December.
From Phenom Hoops Report:
2026 Dionte Neal Staying Home in North Carolina, Commits to UNCG
Discover Dionte Neal's commitment to UNCG. Why this 2026 player chose to stay home in North Carolina for his college career.
www.phenomhoopreport.com
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
He wasn't a kid Duke went after but Kansas just landed a major pickup by grabbing Tay Kinney. He is seen as perhaps the best pure PG in the class and is a top 15-20 recruit.
He picked Kansas because a future OAD told him to come there and be OAD. What a sweet way to look at your time on campus.
He picked Kansas because a future OAD told him to come there and be OAD. What a sweet way to look at your time on campus.
brevity
Member
Travis Branham is reporting that 6-7 forward Cole Cloer has cancelled his visit to UNC this weekend.
Just last week Cloer narrowed his choice to 5 finalists -- Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, NC State, and UNC -- and according to On3, he's made official visits to the other 4 schools.
Before you roll out the Seinfeld "that's a shame" memes, this could mean a few things. Branham's language is vague here: "will no longer visit North Carolina this weekend" could just mean a postponement with no alternate visit date set. Also, Cloer is also from nearby Hillsborough, so it's not like he's never seen Chapel Hill before. Indeed, he talks about each finalist, and says of Carolina, "I've gone over there a lot." Still, it's telling to change your mind about officially visiting the last school on your list.
Another theory: the Belichick Effect.
In the recruiting tale of Cole Cloer,
The Heels' chances are almost o'er.
Chapel Bill went to Nantucket,
So Cole just said "Suck it,
This place can't get any lower."
Just last week Cloer narrowed his choice to 5 finalists -- Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, NC State, and UNC -- and according to On3, he's made official visits to the other 4 schools.
Before you roll out the Seinfeld "that's a shame" memes, this could mean a few things. Branham's language is vague here: "will no longer visit North Carolina this weekend" could just mean a postponement with no alternate visit date set. Also, Cloer is also from nearby Hillsborough, so it's not like he's never seen Chapel Hill before. Indeed, he talks about each finalist, and says of Carolina, "I've gone over there a lot." Still, it's telling to change your mind about officially visiting the last school on your list.
Another theory: the Belichick Effect.
In the recruiting tale of Cole Cloer,
The Heels' chances are almost o'er.
Chapel Bill went to Nantucket,
So Cole just said "Suck it,
This place can't get any lower."
SkyBrickey
Member
The UNC fanbase really wants this kid. What a shame.
brevity
Member
Maybe, but Cole Cloer is not the only small forward in the 2026 class who has included UNC among his finalists. (I've updated my 2026 MBB Recruiting Summary to reflect the RSCI rankings that came out last weekend.)
8. Anthony Thompson (6-8 SF): 7 finalists are Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, Texas, and UNC
23. Maximo Adams (6-7 SF): 11 finalists are Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas, UNC, USC, and Washington
35. Cameron Holmes (6-6 SF): 6 finalists are Arizona, Gonzaga, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, and UNC
This list of small forwards doesn't include #12 Bryson Howard, who visited UNC in early September. He hasn't announced any finalists yet. I should also mention that #16 Tajh Ariza cancelled his visit to Chapel Hill about 3 weeks ago, and has since pared his choices down to Oregon and USC. #1 Tyran Stokes and #18 Qayden Samuels both have UNC offers, but I haven't come across any updates.
If you're wondering about UNC's 2026 recruiting beyond the small forward position, the only other ranked players to put UNC on an active finalist list are
11. Deron Rippey Jr (6-2 PG): 9 finalists are Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, and UNC
13. Miikka Muurinen (6-10 PF): 7 finalists are Arkansas, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, NC State, and UNC
Starting from their open offer list in Verbal Commits and removing anyone who did not include the Heels among their finalists, they are probably still pursuing #3 Caleb Holt and #5 Dylan Mingo, both guards.
Thank you for the information and another catchy limerick, Brevity!
I fully support this idea to make Bill-related limericks for everything! The price of vegetables goes up at the grocery store? Blame it on Bill in a limerick!
Does Muurinen's recent European contract mean he has ruled out playing D1 college ball in the US?
Finland Sensation Miikka Muurinen Reveals Plan To Enter 2027 NBA Draft After Overseas Stint - NewsBreak
The EuroBasket 2025 concluded with several NBA stars showcasing their skills for their home nations. The NBA stars also share the spotlight with upcoming t
brevity
Member
Does Muurinen's recent European contract mean he has ruled out playing D1 college ball in the US?
Finland Sensation Miikka Muurinen Reveals Plan To Enter 2027 NBA Draft After Overseas Stint - NewsBreak
The EuroBasket 2025 concluded with several NBA stars showcasing their skills for their home nations. The NBA stars also share the spotlight with upcoming twww.newsbreak.com
Maybe not. That article contains the following quote from Miikka Muurinen: “This stint in Serbia is just a step. If everything goes well and I like it here, I might skip college before the draft. But I don’t think that will happen because I still want to experience university life.”
Interestingly, he's chosen to play for Partizan, and you'll never guess who's also on that 2025-26 roster: Jabari Parker. Maybe he'll say some good things about Duke while they're teammates, just as he likely did with Dame Sarr in Barcelona.