Duke basketball: 2020 C Mark Williams mocks Crystal Ball

The Duke basketball recruiters appear to be the overwhelming favorites in one winding-down battle, but the target pointed out how one shouldn’t pay too much attention to prognosticators.

On Thursday, reputable insider Andrew Slater entered a 247Sports Crystal Ball pick forecasting IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star center Mark Williams to join a Duke basketball class that already includes three five-stars — point guard Jeremy Roach, combo guard D.J. Steward, and small forward Jalen Johnson — in addition to four-star power forwards Henry Coleman and Jaemyn Brakefield.

All nine picks for Williams, who ranks No. 29 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite, are now in agreement. So the 7-foot-1, 225-pounder — Coleman’s best friend, Johnson’s current roommate/teammate, and Cameron Indoor Stadium rafter-dweller Elizabeth Williams’ younger brother — will surely choose Duke over fellow finalists Michigan and UCLA come his Nov. 1 announcement, right?

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Not so fast, per anyone who follows potential Blue Devils on social media. On Monday, after Scottie Barnes committed to Florida State — despite all nine Crystal Ball picks predicting the five-star forward would end up elsewhere — Williams replied to the news from his Instagram account with this possibly telling observation: “Another wrong Crystal Ball…😨”

Should one interpret the above message as a warning that the Crystal Ball for Williams is also incorrect? In short, no. That being said, when adding the four words and emoji to the fact that top expert Evan Daniels has not yet entered his “done-deal pick” for the 17-year-old, a wise man would advise Duke basketball fans not to count this commit until it hatches.

Moreover, per a tweet from Stock Risers’ Jake Weingarten, Michigan’s Juwan Howard visited Williams on Wednesday, suggesting the first-year head coach still has hopes of hauling in the big man who was in Ann Arbor on an official visit just two weeks back (he was at UCLA the last weekend of August and will be at Duke next weekend).

Plus, Howard, a towering figure himself whose key selling point is his 19-year career fortifying paints for eight NBA franchises, now officially has momentum on the recruiting trail after securing his first mega commit in the form of five-star power forward Isaiah Todd, who made public his decision on Thursday night (about an hour after the news, Williams posted Todd’s announcement video to his Instagram).

Michigan, Duke, and UCLA can each promise Williams the opportunity to compete for gobs of available minutes next year. And no matter which school he ends up at, the budding giant — his ranking has climbed 19 spots since June and 69 spots over the past 16 months — has all the tools to immediately become either a starter or sixth man.

Williams is certainly adept at using his 7-foot-4 wingspan and impressive mobility to pile up putbacks and blocks. If the Norfolk, Va., native can add some meat to his frame and further hone his mid-range game, then he should be able to check enough boxes to become a first-round draft pick (his studious nature is one sign he may stay in college for more than one season).

Besides Williams, the Duke basketball staff still has eyes on snagging a pledge from four-star 2020 center Hunter Dickinson. The fellow 7-footer, who is in Durham for his official visit this weekend and will be in attendance at Countdown to Craziness on Friday night, plans to announce his college choice in the coming weeks and also has Michigan among his shortlist of finalists.

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If Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants manage to come out on top for both Williams and Dickinson, then their 2020 recruiting efforts would likely be complete.

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