Duke Basketball: Isaiah Stewart schedules official visit for next weekend

Though it started out slow, pieces have been falling into place as of late that suggest the Duke basketball program’s 2019 class could be a continuation of the recruiting successes in Durham this decade.

At the beginning of the week, rumors surfaced that Duke basketball target Isaiah Stewart could be on his official visit this weekend. The five-star 2019 center would have joined four-star combo guard Boogie Ellis, who is now on campus and will be in attendance for the team’s exhibition game against Ferris State at 4 p.m.

But whether it just didn’t fit his schedule or he just didn’t want to share the spotlight with another recruit, it just didn’t work out.

No worries, though. Stewart has now made the date of his visit official, as reported via a tweet by Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers, and it will come next weekend.

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And maybe that’s for the best. After all, the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Rochester, N.Y., native — ranked No. 5 overall in his class on the 247Sports Composite — deserves to have the coaching staff’s undivided attention.

His ridiculously broad shoulders and equally ridiculous post moves make it easy to mistake him for former Duke big man Shelden Williams — yet Stewart seems to have a bit more of a hop to his step — whose jersey number (23) hangs for eternity in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Although the Blue Devils were at one time considered the favorites to land Stewart, they have been losing ground as of late — only 31 percent of the experts at the 247Sports Crystal Ball pick Duke right now, as compared to 91 percent just a couple months ago — likely in part due to the fact that he had not confirmed whether he intended to visit Durham at all until today. It will be his last of five official visits; he has already been to Washington, Kentucky, Syracuse, and Michigan State (the current favorite, according to the Crystal Ball).

As a result of this latest news — an indication the Blue Devils still remain on Stewart’s mind — don’t be surprised if several experts are now swayed to change their picks in favor of Duke in the coming days.

Currently, the Blue Devils have a commitment from just one 2019 prospect, five-star forward Wendell Moore, who announced his decision earlier in October. However, according to the Crystal Ball, Duke is the favorite — as of this moment, anyways — to be the school of choice for both Ellis (ranked No. 35 on the composite rankings) and five-star center Vernon Carey Jr. (ranked No. 2).

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