Five-star Duke basketball target ‘really high on Kentucky’

A familiar foe may stand in the way of the Duke basketball coaches snagging a commitment from the No. 1 big man in the 2021 class.

When O’Dea High School (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero takes his Duke basketball official visit the weekend of Oct. 17 — coinciding with Countdown to Craziness — the Cameron Crazies should have their work cut out in convincing the 6-foot-9, 235-pound five-star to forget about Kentucky.

Banchero, who ranks No. 4 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite with a frame and inside-out game sparking comparisons to former Duke basketball star Jabari Parker, will arrive in Durham fresh off his visit to Lexington — during which he will attend the Wildcats’ Big Blue Madness.

Add to that issue the tight bonds the 16-year-old and his mom apparently have already formed with Kentucky head coach John Calipari.

"“I’m really high on Kentucky,” Banchero said, with an undeniable positive inflection in his voice, as a guest this week on Kentucky Sports Radio’s Sources Say Podcast. “I’m looking forward to my visit…Coach Cal talks to my mom all the time. Him and my mom have a great relationship. He talks to me…“Actually, he just texted me a couple of minutes ago, wants to talk to me tonight.”"

Granted, Banchero’s comments came in response to Kentucky-geared questions from the Kentucky media — i.e., he likely felt compelled to play to his crowd. Nevertheless, his open praise continued:

"“I’ve been watching Kentucky for a while, since John Wall was playing, watching Coach Cal on TV…Hearing Coach Cal’s voice and him saying they were offering me was surreal.”"

Far less glowing and specific were Banchero’s comments about the Blue Devils — who extended him an offer in July, a month after his Wildcats offer — which came in response to a question about the vision Mike Krzyzewski has for him. In fact, he seemed to need an extra second just to rehash said vision:

"“Umm…just kind of put the ball in my hands, allow me to make plays, just make plays for my teammates, just kind of be put all over the floor.”"

One promising tidbit for the Blue Devils, however, is that the Crystal Ball appears to be way off by showing his parents’ alma mater as the surefire favorite.

"“I mean, obviously Washington is under consideration, but they are nowhere near the favorite,” Banchero disclosed during the interview. “No one is the favorite. I’m open to every school — even though both my parents went [to Washington].“My mom went through this whole recruiting process, and I mean, she chose Washington, but that was a different Washington than it is now.”"

Banchero has never been on so much as an unofficial visit to Washington — only 20 minutes from his house — and, at least from his comments during the podcast, doesn’t sound overly anxious to ever do so. Meanwhile, he has scheduled three official visits on top of the ones to Kentucky and Duke: to North Carolina the weekend of Sept. 27, to Tennessee the weekend of Oct. 25, and to Gonzaga the weekend of Jan. 17.

As for when to expect a final decision from Banchero, who recently shut down the idea of reclassing to 2020, he said, “If it was ideal, I would want it to be before my senior year of high school.”

So it sounds like Coach K and his assistants should still have a year or more to make their pitch. And, on a possibly related note, their trip to Memphis next week to see five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler could ultimately work in their favor when pursuing Banchero.

ALSO READ: Duke offer ‘likely coming’ for 2021 PG Kennedy Chandler

"“[Chandler] is really the only one I’ve ever talked to [about teaming up with in college],” Banchero recalled just before signing out of the podcast."

Rivals’ Corey Evans may have best summed up the current status of the battle for Banchero during his chat this week with Lexington Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts:

"“I think if he does leave Washington, it’s going to be Kentucky or Duke. And, right now, I think he’s feeling Kentucky a little more.”"

The Duke basketball staff has not yet reeled in a 2021 commit. In addition to Banchero, offers are on the table to four five-stars: small forward Jonathan Kuminga, small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., small forward A.J. Griffin, and shooting guard Max Christie.

ALSO READ: Blue Devils may hold cards for No. 1 prospect

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