Duke basketball: Blue Devils may make recruit’s list despite no offer

The Duke basketball coaches surviving a teenage giant’s cut this weekend would suggest the target is encouraging them to step their interest up to the next level.

Most programs don’t land on a top 30 prospect’s list of finalists without having handed the kid an offer. Also true, most programs aren’t the Duke basketball program.

Four-star 2020 center Hunter Dickinson, who ranks No. 30 on the 247Sports Composite, will trim his list to seven Saturday, per a Friday tweet from Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten (Dickinson has not yet informed Weingarten of an exact time to expect the list).

Imagine being the coach of one of the two dozen programs to have extended an offer to Dickinson. Then imagine not making the cut only to see one of those who did is a coach who hadn’t even shown love to Dickinson via an offer of his own.

Well, it’s by no means a sure thing, but Mike Krzyzewski and his cohorts hold a reasonable shot to be among those still standing after Saturday in the battle for the 7-foot-2, 255-pound interior weapon out of DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md.

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What would make the Duke coaches’ feat even more impressive is the fact they do have offers out to two other 7-footers from Dickinson’s class: five-star Walker Kessler, who ranks No. 16 and recently included Duke among his final six, and four-star Mark Williams, who ranks No. 37 and plans to put out his first list within the next few weeks.

That being said, with two big rising seniors and one big incoming freshman all likely to be gone after next season, plenty of playing time should be available in Durham for at least two centers come the 2020-21 season. And Dickinson told Weingarten earlier in the week that the staff from Durham has been showing him “heavy” interest as of late.

If the Blue Devils were to make Dickinson’s cut, then offer him, and ultimately become his final choice — he has no timeline for a decision but plans to take visits in the fall to most of his finalists — then they would be receiving a player who moves around in a similar fashion to former Duke basketball behemoth Brian Zoubek (albeit Dickinson appears to have a sturdier base).

In other words, Dickinson doesn’t own the quickest feet, but he does contribute an imposing presence down low. However, the 18-year-old has a solid stroke from deep and an overall deeper array of moves in the paint than Zoubek did at his age.

At the moment, though, the 247Sports Crystal Ball sees the big fella taking his monstrous size and honed skill set to Notre Dame (granted, only three picks are in). Other schools who seem to have spent the most time recruiting Dickinson so far — the schools who would probably be most shocked not to make his final seven — are UNC, Michigan, Purdue, and Louisville.

Of course, should he include Duke on his list, he would be sending what some may see as a strong message: If you offer me, you may just like my answer.

We’ll soon see.

On top of Kessler and Williams, the Blue Devil staff has given 2020 offers to five-star point forward Cade Cunningham, five-star small forward Ziaire Williams, five-star shooting guard Brandon Boston, four-star power forward Henry Coleman, and four-star combo guard D.J. Steward.

ALSO READ: The four 2020 targets who look to be Duke-bound

Two 2020 five-stars have already committed to Duke: small forward Jalen Johnson and point guard Jeremy Roach.

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