The Duke basketball coaches were in Wisconsin today meeting with a potential Blue Devil at his high school.
Five-star 2020 forward Jalen Johnson has offers from more than 20 schools, but his pinned tweet boasts only of his offer from the Duke basketball program.
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound phenom from Sun Prairie, Wis., has kept his message, “Blessed beyond measure to receive an offer from Coach K & Duke University,” at the top of his Twitter feed since Mike Krzyzewski extended that offer in July.
So it’s safe to assume he was excited to host the Duke coaches today for a visit at Nicolet High School in Glendale.
Johnson is listed as the No. 7 overall prospect and No. 2 small forward on 247Sports’ composite ranking of the class of 2020. Although four of six experts at 247Sports’ Crystal Ball are projecting he will land at Wisconsin — two peg him as a Blue Devil — that could be a result of the Badgers offering him a scholarship months before the Blue Devils officially joined the race.
And his high praise for the facilities in Durham after his unofficial visit in August indicates that, in his eyes, the Duke basketball program has qualities that many other programs lack.
“Getting out to Duke was a surreal visit for me,” Johnson told Evan Flood of NY2LASPORTS.com. “I never really envisioned myself visiting there. It was super cool. I loved it. Some of that stuff is just crazy to see. Some colleges don’t have stuff like that. The basketball facilities are super crazy. They have some impressive technology that tracks their shooting and everything. I was really impressed by that stuff.”
Like current Duke freshman Cam Reddish, Johnson has the athleticism, skill, size, and confidence to play multiple positions on the floor. His passing ability resembles that of a flashy point guard, but his footwork in the paint resembles that of a skilled big man. Add to those attributes his smooth stroke from downtown; the result is a player the Duke basketball coaches would be grateful to have in Durham.
The Blue Devils so far do not have a commitment from any player in the 2019 or 2020 class.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analysis, opinions, and projections.