Duke basketball: Coach K becoming more recruit than recruiter

A recent string of high lottery picks out of Durham may explain why some heralded recruits seem to essentially be recruiting the chief Duke basketball recruiter to be among their options for a college coach.

Per 247Sports, not only have the Duke basketball coaches not targeted Prolific Prep (Calif.) combo guard Jalen Green, but they also haven’t yet even seriously scouted the 6-foot-5, 170-pound five-star who ranks No. 3 on the 2020 Composite.

Regardless, apparently without Mike Krzyzewski or his assistants even having to lift a finger, Green is reportedly expressing interest in the Blue Devils and planning to check out the campus in the near future.

"“Top 5 Jalen Green will be taking a visit to #Duke soon this source says…Should be interesting,” self-proclaimed wingspan truther Kendyl Provost Jr. tweeted on Tuesday. “I always said there are 2 prestigious schools who can get involved like that for everyone.”"

Kentucky Sports Radio’s Jack Pilgrim, a recruiting analyst covering the presumed other prestigious school that Provost Jr. is referring to, chimed in with what he is hearing about Green’s curiosity in Duke — aka, the program that has hauled in four of the nation’s past six No. 1 classes and produced one or more of the first three picks across a record six straight NBA drafts.

"“…I am told that even after minimal contact throughout the bulk of his recruitment, Duke is a school Jalen Green’s camp would listen to,” Pilgrim wrote, “even this late in the process.”"

Pilgrim then went on to clarify his intel about Green, who canceled plans for an October visit to Kentucky after the Wildcats’ Saturday commitment from shooting guard Terrence Clarke (a five-star who never received a Duke basketball offer but indirectly asked for one by listing the Blue Devils among his finalists).

"“This does not mean Green is going to Duke. More likely scenarios right now are Oregon, Memphis, or overseas. Duke still has quite a bit of ground to make up, just worth mentioning that the door isn’t shut completely.”"

Of course, what Pilgrim failed to mention is the door may be locked on the other side — for reasons that likely have nothing to do with Green and everything to do with the Duke coaches wanting to respect their prioritized recruits.

After all, on top of Krzyzewski having already landed two 2020 five-stars with perimeter proficiencies — point guard Jeremy Roach and small forward Jalen Johnson — all signs now point to five-star combo guard D.J. Steward committing to the Blue Devils in the coming weeks.

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Moreover, Duke basketball offers are on the table to five-star wing Ziaire Williams and reclass-candidate Jonathan Kuminga, the five-star versatile forward who sits atop the 2021 Composite.

And with Alex O’Connell, Jordan Goldwire, and Joey Baker each holding at least two years of remaining eligibility — also, one or both of current freshmen wings Cassius Stanley and Wendell Moore could return as sophomores — the coaches in Durham are evidently confident in the backcourt weapons they expect to have at their disposal for the 2020-21 season.

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In other words, despite Green’s top-of-the-line athleticism — paired with brilliant scoring abilities from inside, outside, and anywhere in between — the likely one-and-done collegian currently comes across as someone who wants to take a closer look at the staff responsible as of late for efficiently putting one-and-done players in position to sign some of the loftiest rookie contracts.

In summary, considering the highly sought-after skills and noticeable competitive fire of Green — who intends to announce his college choice on Christmas Day — what one could describe at the moment as his recruitment of the Blue Devils should be flattering to the Duke basketball program.

Green’s interest is also symbolic of the type of reverse-recruiting that might continue to become more and more common in Durham up until the day Coach K retires.

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