Little did those outside the inner circle know that a potential Duke basketball sharpshooter would be on campus this weekend.
Typically, highly coveted prospects gobble up attention by teasing every nugget about their recruitments. But as for the Duke basketball program’s 2020 class, covert moves seem to be an emerging theme.
Five-star point guard Jeremy Roach started the trend on May 8 by tweeting his commitment without any prior notice of an impending announcement. Two months later, five-star small forward Jalen Johnson followed suit when he suddenly interrupted Fourth of July cookouts with his tweeted pledge of allegiance to the Blue Devils.
And unbeknownst to this site on Thursday when writing about the Duke basketball staff possibly having to play the waiting game for a visit and final decision from Whitney Young (Ill.) combo guard D.J. Steward, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound five-star was likely packing for his then-unadvertised trip to Durham this weekend.
ALSO READ: Newly minted five-star worth Duke’s wait
Duke will now join Texas as the only programs to have officially hosted Steward, who has jumped from No. 108 to No. 25 on the 247Sports Composite this summer by showing off his sweet stroke and driving ability during Nike EYBL play. Unless the 17-year-old is holding more secret plans, the other finalists — North Carolina, Louisville, DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa State — are not yet on tap for official visits.
On Friday morning, possibly as a result of the word on Steward’s whereabouts, 247Sports’ Adam Rowe added to the previous six consensus Crystal Ball picks for Duke. On the other hand, Rivals’ FutureCast is 100 percent in favor of Louisville at the moment.
After the Blue Devils made a strong statement earlier in the week by sending all four coaches to see Steward at his high school, the Chicago native told 247Sports’ Evan Daniels that he “is trying to take it easy” and doesn’t have a timetable for his decision. However, his Duke visit suggests an announcement may in fact be on the horizon.
Of course, keeping in line with Johnson and Roach, if Steward’s destiny is to join #TheBrotherhood — his game brings to mind former Duke basketball guard Daniel Ewing — then his college choice may just appear out of nowhere on social media.
ALSO READ: D.J. Steward soaks up attention from Duke commits
In addition to Steward, Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants are still waiting on decisions from five-star center Walker Kessler, five-star small forward Ziaire Williams, four-star power forward Henry Coleman, and four-star center Mark Williams.
ALSO READ: Clock ticking on Blue Devils for five-star
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.