Duke basketball: Blue Devils prepared to pounce on slick five-star

A five-star is reportedly about to announce a reclass, and the Duke basketball coaches are expected to be waiting with an offer when he does.

Brewster Academy (N.H.) 2021 shooting guard Terrence Clarke will turn 18 in less than two weeks — a week before Duke basketball freshman Wendell Moore does the same. Therefore, one would think there is no way the 6-foot-7, 185-pound polished attacker with octopus arms remains in high school two more years.

Apparently, it’s no longer a question of if he’ll reclass, but when.

"“[Clarke] is widely expected to reclassify to 2020 and play just one more season of high school basketball before moving on to college,” Lexington-Herald Leader’s Ben Roberts posted Tuesday. “A reclassification announcement is expected soon.”"

Having not even yet extended an offer, the Blue Devils have received two of the six Crystal Ball picks for Clarke — who ranks No. 3 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite due to his remarkable motor, elite athleticism, off-the-charts length, flashy handles, improving jumper, and slick slashes to the basket. The other four picks all favor the Kentucky coaches, who made him a priority with an offer back in May.

RELATED: Duke staff scares off Kentucky on recruiting trail

Based on what Roberts is hearing, Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff, needing to haul in a 2020 class at least six deep, should officially enter the battle soon after Clarke confirms his intentions to move up a class.

"“The Herald-Leader was recently told that Kentucky and Memphis would be the top two teams on Clarke’s list,” Roberts noted, “and Duke is expected to ramp up its recruiting efforts once he makes the move to 2020.”"

RELATED: Dissecting the fluid recruitment of Terrence Clarke

The Blue Devils already have 2020 commitments from a pair of five-stars — small forward Jalen Johnson and point guard Jeremy Roach — and offers out to five-star center Walker Kessler, four-star center Mark Williams, four-star power forward Henry Coleman, five-star small forward Ziaire Williams, and four-star combo guard D.J. Steward.

If two or more of those holding offers from Duke decide to commit elsewhere, then Coach K and his cohorts will have to start implementing backup plans. Of course, they may not be left scrambling for three-stars if they soon go ahead and start fully pursuing Clarke, a name some experts expect to outshine any of the names above.

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