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Duke Basketball: Josiah James picks Tennessee over Duke, Clemson

By Matt Giles

OMAHA, NE - MARCH 23: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils reacts against the Syracuse Orange during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 23, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - MARCH 23: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils reacts against the Syracuse Orange during the first half in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at CenturyLink Center on March 23, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Another day spells yet another rejection for the Duke basketball coaches from a 2019 prospect.

Now-former Duke basketball target Josiah James announced on Wednesday that he will be taking his talents to Rocky Top.

The Tennessee Volunteers were never the favorites to land James, according to the Crystal Ball at 247Sports. Instead, Duke owned most of the experts’ picks for months up until James said he would be making an announcement on Wednesday, just days after he returned from his official visit to Clemson (he had also canceled his upcoming visit to Durham). That’s when almost every pick went the Tigers’ way.

But James, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound combo guard from Charleston, S.C., proved the experts wrong by choosing the third school on his list.

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So James is now a Vol, meaning Duke has now officially missed out on five of the 11 players it had originally extended offers to. UNC commit Armando Bacot, Villanova commit Bryan Antoine, Arizona commit Nico Mannion, and Scottie Lewis (his list is down to Kentucky and Florida after trimming it on Tuesday) preceded James in rejecting the Blue Devils.

A 12th offer from the Duke basketball coaches emerged on Tuesday when four-star guard Boogie Ellis tweeted that he had received the offer from the Blue Devils.

So Duke is currently still in the hunt for Ellis and six other 2019 recruits: power forward Vernon Carey Jr. (ranked No. 2 on the 247Sports Composite), combo guard Cole Anthony (No. 3), center Isaiah Stewart (No. 5), power forward Matthew Hurt (No. 6), Wendell Moore (No. 23), and Joseph Girard (No. 214).

It is unclear if coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff intend to extend any further offers. But with four current freshmen in Durham likely to leave for the NBA after just one season in college and zero commitments from a 2019 recruit, the Blue Devils will have to find some way to fill out the 2019-20 roster.

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