Duke basketball: Henry Coleman commits, friend likely to follow

The Duke basketball program welcomed a fourth 2020 commitment, one that should help lead to another.

With the announced commitment on Friday from Trinity Episcopal School (Va.) power forward Henry Coleman, the Duke basketball 2020 class now includes all but one piece to what would make for a formidable starting five.

Five-stars fill positions one through three: point guard Jeremy Roach, combo guard D.J. Steward, and small forward Jalen Johnson.

Coleman — a four-star who ranks No. 40 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite and chose Duke over fellow finalists Virginia Tech, N.C. State, Michigan, and Ohio State — is a little-things specialist who will bring relentless energy, elite instincts, ideal strength, tough-minded defense, and solid post moves to the frontcourt in Durham.

Furthermore, considering Coleman is the president of the student body at his high school, he should provide plenty of leadership. Overall, the 17-year-old’s game and demeanor bring to mind the Duke basketball assistant responsible for leading his recruitment, Nate James (whose motor and unselfishness as a senior in 2001 played a key role in Duke cutting down the nets in April).

Plus, the addition of Coleman gives the Blue Devils an even better shot to haul in the missing piece: his noted buddy, four-star center Mark Williams, who will take an official visit to Duke the weekend of Nov. 1 and plans to announce his decision soon thereafter.

"“Now, I’m turning into a recruiter for my team,” Coleman wrote in his USA Today blog, “and I’m going after Mark Williams! It’s easier for me because we’re actually best friends, and we played AAU together for years, and we’ve always played really well together.“He’s who I’m focused on!”"

In addition to the bond between the fellow Virginians, after transferring to IMG Academy (Fla.) this summer, Williams is now both a teammate and roommate of Johnson, per 247Sports’ John Watson.

In other words, it’s no surprise that seven of the eight picks inside the Crystal Ball for Williams — the younger brother of former Duke women’s basketball great Elizabeth Williams — peg the 7-foot-1, 230-pounder as a future Blue Devil.

ALSO READ: Talk of Duke shaking up race for another 2020 center

The only other 2020 prospect holding a Duke basketball offer at the moment is five-star small forward Ziaire Williams, who is not likely to decide on a college until spring. Currently, despite the same number of commits and a higher average composite ranking, Duke’s 2020 class still sits No. 2 behind Kentucky’s (by a margin of 0.09 points, per 247Sports’ calculations).

ALSO READ: Duke’s four options following giant recruiting loss to UNC

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