Duke Basketball: Blue Devils make latest cut for PG Josiah James
By Matt Giles
Five-star point guard Josiah James cut his list of schools to four on Wednesday, and he included the Duke basketball program.
Although the Duke basketball team is set at point guard for now with freshman Tre Jones and sophomore Jordan Goldwire on its roster, the reality of the one-and-done era forces the coaches in Durham to always be looking to stack up on future talent.
One talent that the coaches are continuing to eye on the recruiting trail is a high school senior named Josiah James, who trimmed his list of possible schools he may attend next year from nine to four on Wednesday.
In addition to Duke, the 6-foot-6, 195-pounder from The Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, S.C., is still considering Tennessee, Michigan State, and Clemson. The teams cut from his list were South Carolina, Kansas, Virginia, Arizona, and Florida State.
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James just made an unofficial visit to the Duke campus this past weekend (might be a good sign that he cut his list and kept the Blue Devils on it just a few days after visiting). He is planning to make his official visit to Duke in September, and he is expected to announce his final decision in November.
James is ranked 11th nationally by Rivals, 12th by 247 Sports, and 23rd by ESPN. And according to the Crystal Ball, the Blue Devils have an 88 percent chance to land the prospect who is considered by many to be the top point guard in the class of 2019.
That being said, though, each of the remaining destinations on James’ list has a unique reason to be hopeful.
Tennessee was the first school from among those still on his list to offer him a scholarship. The Volunteers extended the offer when James was just a freshman.
Michigan State is where his father, Kurt, played his college ball. And Clemson is located in his home state.
As for Duke, the Blue Devils still have the coaching services of Hall of Fame coach Michael William Krzyzewski. Enough said.
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Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates on Duke basketball recruiting.