Duke Basketball: R.J. Barrett named preseason first-team All-American

Duke basketball freshman R.J. Barrett graces the cover of a preseason publication as a first-team All-American pick.

Months before every season begins, Chris Dortch’s Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook beats other publications to the punch by announcing its preseason first-team All-Americans. On Wednesday, the magazine announced that a Duke basketball freshman is worthy of being on its list.

The selection of R.J. Barrett, who was honored as the 2018 Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year in March and also named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, makes it three years in a row that a Duke basketball player has been on the cover.

Former Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen made the final cut for the magazine’s preseason picks of the five best college basketball players in the country the past two seasons.

More from Ball Durham

Barrett is a prototypical shooting guard whose game has drawn comparisons to NBA legend Kobe Bryant. However, due to a current injury to fellow freshman guard Tre Jones, Barrett was forced to start at the point for Duke’s first preseason exhibition game in Toronto on Wednesday.

Although the 6-foot-7, 205-pound lefty from Mississauga, Canada, made some early mistakes during his debut in a Duke jersey, his overall performance definitely did not disappoint. The 18-year-old scored 34 points — including several eye-opening dunks and heady plays — while starring alongside another freshman, Zion Williamson, as the Blue Devils defeated Ryerson, 86-67.

The only obstacle that could keep Barrett off the All-American teams at the end of the season is the fact that he will have to share the rock with so many other five-star freshmen and talented returning veterans. Most experts expect Barrett to be a one-and-done player for the Blue Devils and a high lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Also honored on the first team are North Carolina senior Luke Maye, Purdue junior Carsen Edwards, Wisconsin senior Ethan Happ, and Gonzaga junior Rai Hachimura. Maye and Edwards are the only players on the cover who made an All-American team last season (both third-team selections by the Associated Press).