A prior commit, a coaching legend, and an academic reputation are all evidently working in the Duke basketball recruiters’ favor as they come down the homestretch for a ginormous talent.
There are rumblings that Jeremy Roach may be at Friday’s Countdown to Craziness. And there are words suggesting the five-star point guard’s presence would help with the effort to also add DeMatha Catholic (Md.) center Hunter Dickinson to the 2020 Duke basketball class.
"“Being able to play with my friend Jeremy Roach would be something that I’d like to do,” Dickinson told Prep Circuit’s Pat Lawless in advance of his official visit to Duke this weekend."
Dickinson, who ranks No. 34 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite and was Roach’s teammate on the Nike EYBL circuit, is down to four schools: Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Florida State. The 7-foot-2, 260-pound four-star reiterated to Lawless his plan to announce his decision “before the season.” Having already visited his other three finalists this fall, the trip to Durham will be his last.
Of course, Roach’s presence alone surely wouldn’t be enough for Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff to convince Dickinson to sign up to become a Blue Devil. But the behemoth pointed out to Lawless two other foreseen advantages of joining #TheBrotherhood:
"“Coach K is a legendary coach, so it’s pretty hard to not listen to what he has to say. He’s coached pretty much every great basketball player, so just to hear him talk about how he liked my game and he wants to coach me, it’s a pretty exciting thing to have.“Also, Duke being good academically helps.”"
Granted, Dickinson — a high-IQ guy with an old-school hook shot, a solid outside shot, and an agile set of moves for his size — also spoke highly of his other three remaining suitors to Lawless. The 18-year-old mentioned Florida State’s campus life, weather, and tight-knit roster under Leonard Hamilton; praised Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, a fellow DeMatha alum, for recruiting him from the start; and brought up the benefit of playing for a former elite big man in Michigan’s Juwan Howard.
Dickinson’s Crystal Ball only includes two picks. Both are for Michigan, but they came in prior to his late offer from the Blue Devils on Sept. 27. As for how he plans to ultimately make up his mind, he said this to Lawless:
"“I feel like it’s going to come down to a gut feeling of where I feel like I fit in best.”"
Could the celebration that is Countdown to Craziness spur Dickinson to pledge allegiance to the Blue Devils by the end of his visit? Possibly, though having Roach by his side at the annual preseason party would probably increase that probability.
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However, Dickinson may hold out until after both of two relevant upcoming decisions play out. Five-star power forward Isaiah Todd is likely to pick Michigan on Thursday, and four-star center Mark Williams is likely to commit to Duke on Nov. 1.
Both Michigan and Duke offer ample up-for-grabs playing time regardless, so Dickinson’s choice could partly rest on which of the above peers he wants to practice against daily next fall — and maybe even call his freshman roommate.
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The Duke basketball coaches already hold five commitments — Roach, five-star combo guard D.J. Steward, five-star small forward Jalen Johnson, as well as four-star power forwards Henry Coleman and Jaemyn Brakefield — and the only 2020 recruits they are still publicly pursuing are Dickinson and Williams (this should change if one or both end up elsewhere).
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Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions.