Duke Basketball: Blue Devil commits see two more five-stars joining class

Two Duke basketball commits predict the 2019 class will ultimately include four McDonald’s All-Americans.

Ever since their commitments during the final months of 2018, five-star 2019 recruits Vernon Carey Jr. and Wendell Moore have worked to fully ingratiate themselves with the Duke basketball program and its fanbase by pitching in with recruiting efforts.

They’ve used social media to publicly call on other top recruits to become Blue Devils. And they’ve regularly displayed optimism that fuels fans’ giddiness about the 2019-20 roster’s potential star power.

At the McDonald’s All-American Game festivities this week, Carey Jr. and Moore took their shared optimism to another level during an interview with Rivals.com. Both predicted that two more McDonald’s All-Americans will join them as freshmen Blue Devils next season: five-star power forwards Matthew Hurt and Trendon Watford.

Carey Jr., a 6-foot-10, 275-pound center who ranks No. 3 in the 2019 class per the 247Sports Composite but sat out the annual exhibition game due to a high ankle sprain, had this to say about Hurt:

"“He’ll be at Duke with me.”"

Simple as that.

Moore concurs. However, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound small forward who ranks No. 22 and dropped 13 points during the game on Wednesday night — without missing a shot from the field or charity stripe — was a tad wordier in discussing Hurt’s landing spot:

"“Obviously, I’m going to say Duke. I want him to come to Duke. I’m working on him.”"

Duke fans certainly thank Moore for that.

Hurt would specialize in bucket manufacturing for the Blue Devils if he ends up in Durham. Although the 6-foot-9, 215-pounder who ranks No. 8 only scored eight points in the McDonald’s All-American Game, he averaged 37 points for his senior season and nearly scored 4,000 across his high school career.

The Rochester, Minn., native plans to announce his college choice on April 19 and appears to be down to four blue-blood finalists: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and UNC. Currently, the 247Sports Crystal Ball shows Duke as the favorite with 53 percent of the experts’ picks.

Hurt’s commitment alone would likely propel Duke’s 2019 class from No. 9 in the nation, per 247Sports, to No. 1 (would mark the Blue Devils’ fourth consecutive envy-of-all-others class and fifth in the past six years).

As for Watford — a 6-foot-9, 230-pound Birmingham, Ala., native who sports a polished all-around game, scored 13 points as a starter in the McDonald’s All-American Game, and seems underrated by his No. 27 ranking — he plans to announce the day after Hurt.

ALSO READ: Trendon Watford puts the ball in Coach K’s court

And while it may seem like a stretch to expect two five-star power forwards to commit to Duke on back-to-back days — after all, most McDonald’s All-Americans rightfully expect to start as freshmen — Carey Jr. and Moore both envision exactly that scenario playing out.

Explaining his prediction that the Blue Devils also land Watford — he does not yet hold a Duke offer but still lists the school in his final five along with LSU, Memphis, Alabama, and Indiana — Carey Jr. said this:

"“[The Duke coaches] are showing interest in him, and I think he’s going to set up a visit and they’re going to offer him on that trip.”"

Again, Moore agrees:

"“I’m going to say Duke, too. I think he might surprise some people.”More from Ball DurhamDuke basketball: The architect behind digital dominanceDuke basketball prioritizing frontcourt prospects in 2025Duke basketball: Unmasking the hate for the Blue DevilsDuke basketball: Countdown to Craziness lands another huge visitorDuke basketball fills final open scholarship"

If the predictions of Carey Jr. and Moore are correct, the Blue Devils would surprise some people — though not those who have taken note of coach Mike Krzyzewski’s unprecedented recruiting prowess this decade — in their ability to reload from likely all four of their freshmen starters bolting for the NBA after this season.

Side note: Eight of the nine McDonald’s All-Americans Rivals interviewed picked Duke to land Hurt. The only one who did not was UNC commit Armando Bacot, who naturally — hopefully mistakenly — sees Hurt as a future Tar Heel. As for the predictions for Watford, only Carey Jr. and Moore peg him for sure as a future Blue Devil (UNC target Cole Anthony indicated his prediction for Watford is a tie between Duke and LSU).

In addition to Carey Jr. and Moore, Duke has a commitment from four-star combo guard Boogie Ellis, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound San Diego native who ranks No. 34 but did not receive the honor as a McDonald’s All-American.

ALSO READ: McDonald’s snub of Boogie Ellis may benefit Blue Devils

Duke’s only current outstanding 2019 offer is to Hurt.

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