If not for the Duke basketball presence, a staff eight miles down the road would see a relatively smooth ride ahead on the 2020 recruiting trail.
Anyone else wondering why North Carolina head coach Roy Williams currently needs 14 offers on the table to 2020 recruits while Duke basketball legend Mike Krzyzewski, who must haul in a class at least six strong, only needs five?
First and foremost, it must be a matter of the two competing salesmen’s confidence in the products they are pushing — duh. More specifically, it’s a matter of the better salesman forcing his feeble foe into making backup plans for three of his top targets: Sierra Canyon (Calif.) small forward Ziaire Williams, Woodward Academy (Ga.) center Walker Kessler, and Whitney Young (Ill.) combo guard D.J. Steward.
Two of the three, Kessler and Steward, have already named finalists and each included both the Blue Devils and Tar Heels. One troubling sign for UNC, of course, is that the only other 2020 prospect who had both rivals among his finalists has already committed to Duke: Paul VI Catholic (Va.) point guard Jeremy Roach, a five-star who ranks No. 17 on the 247Sports Composite and marked Coach K’s umpteenth recruiting win over Ol’ Roy this decade.
Kessler is a five-star who ranks No. 15 with sufficient post and perimeter skills to have prompted Coach K to bring up a comparison to former Duke basketball great Christian Laettner. Besides Duke and UNC, the 7-foot, 235-pounder is still considering Auburn, Michigan, Gonzaga, and Cal. He has scheduled official visits to Michigan (starting Aug. 30), Duke (Sept. 6), UNC (Sept. 20), and Gonzaga (Oct. 4).
All indications from the Kessler camp point to an announcement coming sometime before the early signing in November. And the 247Sports Crystal Ball points to good news for the Blue Devils (80 percent of the experts agree).
Meanwhile, the Crystal Ball unanimously pegs the Blue Devils to be the landing spot for Steward, who is a 6-foot-3, 175-pound sharpshooter ranking No. 27 and sporting a deep toolbox — reminiscent of former Duke basketball guard Daniel Ewing. Outside of Duke of UNC, his other finalists are Depaul, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, and Texas.
Steward, who hails from the Blue Devil breeding ground of Chicago, has only scheduled one official visit: to Louisville, likely Duke’s top competitor, for the weekend of Sept. 27. Expect him to soon schedule more visits and sign early.
Finally, the sweetest and most crushing of Duke’s 2020 recruiting wins over UNC would come in the form of Williams, a 6-foot-8, 190-pound lengthy specimen who ranks No. 5 and has a game sparking memories of former Duke basketball forward Rodney Hood — due in part to his smooth stroke, quick bounce, and obvious confidence in his honed skill set.
Duke and UNC are the only East Coast programs still in contention for Williams, whose other finalists are UCLA, Arizona, Stanford, Southern Cal, and Oregon. And up until Coach K extended an offer in late July, the Tar Heels and Cardinal looked to be the only two programs with a serious shot. Although the Crystal Ball leaders remain UNC and Stanford — each with 43 percent of the picks — Duke is now on the board with the remaining 14 percent.
Williams took an official visit to UNC back in the spring, but he has not yet scheduled any fall visits and does not appear to be in a hurry to choose his college destination. Regardless, the chatter among experts must have the Tar Heels constantly peeking in their rearview mirror for those big, bad Blue Devils who will gladly run them over and show no remorse.
In addition to Roach, the Duke basketball staff boasts a 2020 commitment from five-star small forward Jalen Johnson, who ranks No. 4. And in addition to the three holding both Duke and UNC offers, the Blue Devils are waiting for answers from four-star center Mark Williams, who ranks No. 34, and four-star power forward Henry Coleman, who ranks No. 40.
ALSO READ: Duke recruiters evidently have an eye for 2020 talent
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.