Duke Basketball: It’s vital Blue Devils dazzle Boogie Ellis this weekend

If the Duke basketball coaches can convince four-star combo guard Boogie Ellis to pursue his collegiate endeavors in Durham, fans will be able to breathe easier when thinking about the 2019-20 roster.

Despite being the only current Duke basketball target from the 2019 class who is not rated with five stars, Boogie Ellis is arguably the most important piece to the recruiting puzzle.

The four-star combo guard, ranked No. 35 overall and No. 7 at his position on the 247Sports Composite, will be on campus this weekend for the last of his five official visits.

In the past six weeks, Ellis has had quite a busy schedule, taking official visits to Georgia Tech, Oregon, Arizona, and UNC, in that order.

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According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball, UNC leads the race with four of the six experts predicting he will end up in Chapel Hill. As of Thursday, though, visions of Duke are now present within that Crystal Ball after one expert entered his prediction that Ellis will suit up for the Blue Devils next season.

Speaking of next season, Duke may be in dire need of a point guard if current freshman Tre Jones opts to enter the 2019 NBA Draft after this season. Other than Ellis, the only other guard the Blue Devils are pursuing — at least at the moment — is five-star combo guard Cole Anthony; however, most experts believe Anthony, who is not expected to announce his decision until spring, will become a Tar Heel.

Although Ellis is not a true point guard, his game (as shown below, via Courtside Films, from the Peach Jam over the summer) resembles that of former Blue Devil and current Duke assistant Nolan Smith — though Ellis seems to possess a bit more athleticism than Smith — who contributed at both guard spots during his playing days in Durham.

If nothing else, Ellis would provide depth — if all four of Duke’s highly touted freshmen leave after this season, the 2019-20 roster will need some serious help — and a safety net at point guard.

Currently, the Blue Devils’ lone commitment is from five-star small forward Wendell Moore, ranked No. 23 on the 247Sports Composite, who announced his decision earlier this month. Ellis, who will be in attendance when Duke hosts Ferris State in its final exhibition game on Saturday at 4 p.m., is expected to make his final choice before the fall signing period (Nov. 14-21).

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analysis, opinions, and predictions.