Duke basketball: Five-star recruit teases Blue Devils, Tar Heels

From the looks of it, one of the three highest-ranked 2020 recruits remaining on the board will be keeping the Duke basketball program — and its neighbor — on edge for up to nine more months.

Sierra Canyon (Calif.) 2020 small forward Ziaire Williams is taking his time giving out hints one at a time and will likely do so for quite some time. In the meantime, Duke basketball fans and those fans who bleed an opposite shade of blue are sure to be at each other’s throats the entire time.

Both Duke and UNC are among the seven finalists the 6-foot-8, 190-pound five-star announced three weeks ago; the other five, who hold the advantage of being on the same side of the country as Williams, are Arizona, Stanford, Oregon, UCLA, and USC.

Williams, who ranks No. 5 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite due to his supreme shooting and potential to play any position other than center, will be at USC this weekend for his first official visit of his senior year, per 247Sports’ Evan Daniels. But nobody knows when he’ll schedule the next one or any of the remaing four (recruits can take five both as juniors and seniors). Where he decides to visit, of course, should hint at which of his finalists are his favorites.

"“[We are] planning one official at a time,” his mother, Marquita, told Daniels this week."

His mom also informed Daniels of her son’s plan to “more than likely” hold off on making a final decision until spring; therefore, it’s certainly possible the next visit won’t come for a couple of months.

As a junior, Williams took official visits to Stanford and UNC, the two presumed leaders at the moment with three apiece of the currently seven Crystal Ball picks. The other pick favors Duke, a late entry with its offer to the 17-year-old at the end of July.

Wrapping this up, as Ziaire Williams continues taking his time with his visits and other hints, thereby teasing his finalists in the process, it definitely shouldn’t hurt Duke basketball fans’ hopes that the kid shares the same initials as this one dude who played in Durham last season.

RELATED: Blue Devils out to crush Tar Heels’ recruiting hopes

Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants already have two 2020 commits in the bag: five-star small forward Jalen Johnson and five-star point guard Jeremy Roach. Needing a class no less than six deep, though, the staff also has offers out to five-star center Walker Kessler, four-star center Mark Williams, four-star power forward Henry Coleman, and four-star combo guard D.J. Steward.

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