When the Duke basketball coaches at first don’t succeed, they try, try again.
Five five-star 2019 recruits have turned down an offer to join the Duke basketball family. And none of the other five five-stars with offers have yet to accept. So how do coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff respond?
By pursuing a couple of four-stars, of course.
Last week, they extended an offer to Boogie Ellis, a 6-foot-2, 165-pound combo guard from San Diego, Calif, who is listed as the No. 35 overall prospect and No. 7 combo guard on the 247Sports Composite for the 2019 class.
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Now, the No. 8 combo guard — No. 64 overall — also appears to be on the radar of Coach K and Co. Anthony Harris, a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder from Fairfax, Va., will be on campus this weekend for his official visit, according to a tweet from Corey Evans of Rivals.com.
Harris attends Paul VI Catholic High School, playing alongside Jeremy Roach — a five-star 2020 point guard who already holds an offer from the Blue Devils. Although Harris is not receiving the same level of praise as Roach, he is considered a leader due to his team-first mentality and reputation as a winner, as reported by 247Sports’ Adam Rowe.
Remember former Duke basketball player Sean Dockery? Well, Harris is similar. A pit bull on defense. A short, chiseled frame. A smart playmaker, yet not super athletic. A nice shot, but with room for improvement.
Another former Blue Devil, current assistant coach Nate James, is leading the recruitment of Harris. Currently, though, 100 percent of the experts at 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predict Virginia Tech as the landing spot for Harris. He is also considering Wake Forest, Connecticut, and Miami.
The Duke coaches have yet to offer Harris a scholarship. That being said, it is highly unlikely they would be hosting him for an official visit if they didn’t intend to do so soon.
Speaking of soon, that is the exact time Duke basketball fans hope to hear news of a commitment from a player in the 2019 class. And at this point, it really doesn’t matter how many stars it takes to describe that player’s talent level.
A commitment just needs to happen in order to at least nudge the ball to get it rolling a little.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analysis, opinions, and predictions.