Ample offers on table for deepest Duke basketball class yet

One or more pieces per position would be ideal for the 2020 Duke basketball class, and the coaches’ Sunday offer to forward Henry Coleman has now extended the list of offers likely just enough to achieve exactly that.

Two in the bag. Six more with invites to join them. The Duke basketball coaches are now in prime position to grow the most expansive crop of talent in program history.

Unless several offers soon fall through, handing out more at this point would only add hurdles to the pursuit of a complete 2020 class. After all, though the typical star-studded recruit welcomes playing alongside others among the top 50 on the 247Sports Composite, he avoids programs overflowing with future first-rounders at his position.

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That being said, possibly as few as four scholarship players will return to Durham after next season (three seniors graduate and up to five underclassmen may hold a lucrative option to bolt for the NBA); so at this point, seven seems to be the lucky number of signees in order to sufficiently reload for the season after next.

And they obviously should combine to cover all necessary roles.

No problem. Just leave it to Mike Krzyzewski and his gang of recruiting magicians.

Not only does past success suggest the coaches will pull out of their hat what would be their fifth No. 1 class across their past seven recruiting performances, but they also have their wands pointed at just the right prizes spanning all positions:

Point guard: Jeremy Roach, who ranks No. 18 and is in the mold of a Quinn Cook with his solid set of skills on offense and gritty harassment on the other end, committed back in May, becoming the nation’s first five-star off the board. Considering all the shooting/combo guards with Duke offers are worthy fill-in floor generals, more offers to pure point guards would be uncalled for at this point (the coaches could always add a three-star at the last minute — one who doesn’t mind riding the pine and developing for a few years).
Shooting guard: Saturday’s offer to D.J. Steward, a 6-foot-4 four-star with a No. 27 ranking, all but assured the Blue Devils of landing a quality guy at this position. If Coach K fails to land either of the other two off-guards on his offer sheet — silky scorer B.J. Boston, who ranks No. 10, and multi-positional phenom Cade Cunningham, who ranks No. 2 — then chances are Steward would jump at the chance to fill the opening. (The staff also has eyes on underrated three-star D.J. Gordon and five-star 2021 guard Terrence Clarke, who may soon boast a Duke offer and is considering reclassing).
Small forward: The Fourth of July commitment from Jalen Johnson provided the centerpiece of the class. The 6-foot-8, 215-pounder ranks No. 4 with a game hinting a relation to Grant Hill. Though no potential backup has picked up an offer, would-be-junior Joey Baker should be more than able to offer Johnson breathers during the 2020-21 season. Plus, Duke landed on the final eight of Scottie Barnes, who ranks No. 8, and the following power forward now holding an offer is actually more of a combo forward…
Power forward: Four-star Henry Coleman, a 6-foot-7, 220-pounder out of Richmond, Va., who picked up a Duke offer on Sunday, ranks No. 39 and appears to be a hybrid of recent Duke basketball forwards Amile Jefferson and Justise Winslow. His highly active motor in the paint resembles Jefferson, and his built frame with a respectable outside game brings to mind Winslow. Yesterday’s pick inside the 247Sports Crystal Ball — from insider Adam Rowe — points to Coleman soon pouncing on the opportunity to play in Durham. (A beefed-up Baker could also compete for minutes at this spot.)
Center: Fortunately for the Blue Devils, they seem to be in a good position to land both of their 7-foot targets holding offers: Walker Kessler, who ranks No. 16 and has drawn a comparison from Coach K to Duke basketball great Christian Laettner, and Mark Williams, who ranks No. 37 and seems to be a refined version of mediocre Duke basketball big man Casey Sanders. The Blue Devils’ Crystal Ball lead for Kessler continues to grow (now at 70 percent). Same goes for Williams (now at 75 percent of the picks predicting Duke).

Now, the coaches’ job certainly isn’t complete.

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But the list of offers should be complete for now.

And ideally, the deepest class to ever arrive in Durham will include the two commits so far plus about four or five guys off the current offer sheet.

Voila!

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