Duke Basketball: Durham has ample room for Isaiah Stewart, Matthew Hurt
By Matt Giles
The Duke basketball coaches’ 2019 recruiting class already consists of considerable amounts of talent, but commitments from two more five-stars would almost certainly result in an even merrier 2019-20 season.
When given the choice, it seems about half of Duke basketball fans prefer Isaiah Stewart. And the others prefer Matthew Hurt.
But there’s no reason anyone should have to choose between the two remaining 2019 five-stars who hold offers from the Blue Devils.
The best choice is to just add both.
If for no other reason, adding Stewart and Hurt to the 2019-20 roster would keep both of them off another team’s roster — especially important in the case of Hurt, who is also considering UNC.
Yet there is another reason:
In terms of Duke’s squad next season, fans are more likely to see pigs fly than to see current freshmen R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish on it; plus, the team will likely also be without another current freshman, point guard Tre Jones, who has seen his name climb mock drafts as of late.
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And the roster next season could even be without junior big man Marques Bolden or some other Blue Devil whose stock could drastically climb by the time April comes around — especially if April includes a sixth set of title-game nets coming back to Durham. (The roster will definitely be without current senior center Antonio Vrankovic.)
That means no less than four players — more likely five, six, or even seven — will depart from the program after this season.
To date, Duke only has three 2019 commitments: center Vernon Carey Jr. (ranked No. 2 on the 247Sports Composite), small forward Wendell Moore (ranked No. 24), and combo guard Boogie Ellis (ranked No. 36). The class currently ranks No. 6, according to 247Sports.
Granted, freshman Joey Baker, who appears to be redshirting this season, reclassified from 2019 to 2018 and is essentially the fourth 2019 recruit.
However, there’s still plenty of room for more; after all, the combination of having an excess of talented players competing for minutes and having a head coach named Mike Krzyzewski — who has a wealth of experience dealing with such a scenario — typically equates to a better, deeper Duke basketball team.
Besides, Stewart — a 6-foot-9, 245-pound center, who is ranked No. 6 and uses his 7-foot-5 wingspan to assert his dominance in the paint — has repeatedly said in the past that he wants to play alongside the best and welcomes teaming up with Carey Jr.
If the Rochester, N.Y., native plays for Coach K, he’ll both be playing for the best and with the best (Duke’s recruiting class would likely jump to No. 1 in the rankings with the addition of Stewart alone).
ALSO READ: Signs point to Isaiah Stewart becoming a Blue Devil
And Hurt — a 6-foot-9, 215-pound power forward out of Rochester, Minn., who is ranked No. 7 and has silky skills from all areas of the court — has repeatedly suggested that he sees himself as more of a wing player than a power forward and would like to play for a program that won’t count on him to anchor a post position.
Well, that suggests that if the Blue Devils land Stewart — the general consensus is that he will announce his college choice before Hurt — then Hurt can rest assured that by picking Duke he would be picking a program that would have no desire to see him spend extended amounts of time in the paint.
Sure, it’s true that the addition of Hurt could limit the playing time of Moore, Baker, and current junior co-captain Jack White. And the addition of Stewart could do the same to another current junior co-captain, Javin DeLaurier, as well as Bolden (assuming he is still at Duke next season).
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Again, though, competing Blue Devils often equals winning Blue Devils.
Speaking of competing, Duke still has plenty of that to do with other schools in order to land both Stewart and Hurt.
Stewart took an official visit to the Durham campus the last weekend of November. The 247Sports Crystal Ball gives a slight edge to Michigan St. at the moment; that being said, Coach K versus Tom Izzo — whether it be in a real game or a recruiting game — typically turns into K beating Izzo.
Meanwhile, Hurt has scheduled an official visit for the weekend of Jan. 19. The Crystal Ball heavily favors Kansas, but only one expert has entered a pick since the beginning of the summer; plus, he is not expected to announce until the spring.
ALSO READ: 55 more reasons Blue Devils want Matthew Hurt
In conclusion, Coach K, who has snagged the nation’s top recruiting class three straight years and in four of the past five years, should just continue being as greedy as a preschooler on a playground.
The 71-year-old should just continue to do his best not to share five-stars with any of his peers.
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analysis, opinions, and predictions.