Duke Basketball: Likelihood Blue Devils nab five-star PF Vernon Carey Jr.

The Duke basketball program is supposedly leading in the running for the top power forward in the 2019 class, but what are the chances Vernon Carey Jr. actually becomes a Blue Devil?

Take the shoulders of Shelden Williams, add the touch around the basket of Elton Brand, throw in the outside shot of Christian Laettner, and finish it off with the footwork of Carlos Boozer; the resulting concoction could be the next great big man for Duke basketball.

Vernon Carey Jr. is listed by some as a power forward and as a center by others. No matter the spot a coach decides to use him, though, the 6-foot-10, 275-pound bruiser is likely to dictate what happens in the paint during any game he plays.

He actually looks more like a heavyweight fighter than a basketball player.

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But regardless of the comparisons used to describe Carey Jr., the Duke basketball coaches want him. And they would love to see the senior from the NSU University School in Fort Lauderdale, Fl., set the tone for the program’s 2019 class by becoming the Blue Devils’ first commitment.

As of right now, the list of potential schools that the No. 2 recruit in the nation could end up at includes Duke, Michigan St., Miami, Kentucky, and North Carolina. If the Crystal Ball at 247 Sports is correct, though, the Blue Devils are the leaders in the recruiting battle with a 54 percent chance of landing the big man.

However, the fact that Carey Jr. just retweeted the announcement video put out by UNC commit Armando Bacot on Thursday could be viewed as a sign that he is also a fan of the Tar Heels.

Or maybe he is just trying to be supportive of a fellow top recruit.

Either way, the retweet occurred. That being said, trying to figure out Millennials’ motives when it comes to what they decide to retweet is the equivalent of trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while blindfolded.

Though Carey Jr. has provided no specific timeline for when he plans to make a final decision or trim his list again, he is likely to wait until after he finishes taking all of his official visits over the course of the next few months.

Also, it is entirely possible that he is just waiting to see where other large-bodied recruits land so that he does not end up in a crowded competition for playing time.

Most experts are also predicting the Blue Devils to get Isaiah Stewart, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound center who plays for La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. Stewart is also a five-star big man and is ranked No. 5 by the composite ranking at 247 Sports.

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It is possible that Carey Jr. will wait for Stewart to make the first move. Yet it is also possible that Stewart will hold out to see where Carey Jr. ends up before he makes any final decisions about his future destination.

And it is even possible that they both end up at Duke together.

Again, trying to understand what a high school basketball player is truly thinking is essentially futile. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to speculate while waiting in anticipation to find out.

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Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates on Duke basketball recruiting.

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