After several rejections from five-star 2019 targets within the past few weeks, the Duke basketball program put out an offer to a lesser-ranked prospect on Tuesday.
Is Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski losing hope with the five-stars?
Well, it might be too soon to assume that is the case, yet the latest offer from the coaching staff to a 2019 recruit suggests that the standards are beginning to drop. That being said, four-star prospect Boogie Ellis is certainly no slouch.
On Tuesday night, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound combo guard from San Diego, Calif., tweeted the news, writing, “Blessed to receive an offer from Duke University!” Along with that statement, Ellis included a picture of Kyrie Irving from 2011 in his Duke basketball jersey.
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If Ellis has visions of being the next Irving, he will need to spend countless hours in the gym while magically finding a way to match the uncanny quickness that Irving possesses. According to 247Sports’ Evan Daniels, though, there is plenty to like about Ellis’ game.
“A 6-foot-2 guard with a wiry frame, Ellis is an impressive and versatile scorer,” Daniels said. “His long-range shooting is a weapon, but he also creates shot opportunities off the bounce, scores off runners and is comfortable shooting on the move.”
The 247Sports Composite ranks Ellis as the No. 35 overall prospect and No. 7 combo guard in the 2019 class.
But an issue for Duke could stem from its entering the game a tad late in terms of offering a scholarship. Ellis had already decided in August, according to Adam Rowe, that the race for his services was between eight schools: Arizona, Oregon, Gonzaga, USC, Memphis, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, and San Diego State.
Yet then the coaches in Chapel Hill offered him a scholarship earlier this month — Ellis called UNC his “dream school” last week during an interview with Pat Lawless of PrepCircuit — and now the Duke coaches have done the same, apparently revealing that the race is still open to latecomers.
Right now, the Blue Devils remain scoreless in the 2019 recruiting game and are hoping that one of their extended offers soon results in a prospect announcing he is coming to Durham.
If not, considering that the current class of Duke basketball freshmen likely contains three or four players who will leave after just one season, walk-on tryouts will always be an option — albeit a tragic one — come next fall.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analysis, opinions, and predictions.