Duke basketball’s 2020 class could wind up containing arguably the most spellbinding prep on the planet at the moment.
A sweet fall collection consisting of six top 50 Duke basketball signees — point guard Jeremy Roach, combo guard D.J. Steward, small forward Jalen Johnson, power forward Henry Coleman, power forward Jaemyn Brakefield, and center Mark Williams — would bloom into a spring masterpiece with the addition of The Patrick School (N.J.) small forward Jonathan Kuminga.
ALSO READ: Stacking up the Blue Devils’ six 2020 signees
In order for such a 2020 dream class to materialize, Kuminga would have to both reclass from 2021 and, of course, choose to bless Mike Krzyzewski with his insanely versatile game for one season before possibly becoming the No. 1 overall pick at the 2021 NBA Draft.
Long. Strong. Athletic. Instinctive. Aggressive. Confident. Polished. Poised. Positionless. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound five-star will surely send some lucky college fanbase into hoops hysteria:
Less than 24 hours after attending the Blue Devils’ season-opening win at the Champions Classic in early November, the No. 1 recruit on the 247Sports 2021 Composite — all video evidence suggests Kuminga would retain that spot among 2020 prospects — announced Duke as a finalist along with nine others: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Texas Tech, and Washington.
ALSO READ: Promising update on Duke’s pursuit of five-star power forward
And Rivals recruiting insider Corey Evans wrote this week that he sees both a reclass and a move to Durham from Kuminga — a 17-year-old Congo native who has not ruled out a move to 2020 and whose Crystal Ball is split between Duke and non-finalist LSU with one pick apiece — as real possibilities:
"“Duke might not be entirely done just yet with its 2020 class. The Blue Devils are still a finalist for [four-star 2020 center] Hunter Dickinson, and I expect his decision to be made any day now. I see him committing to Michigan, however, which might allow the Blue Devils to strike later in the spring via the decommitment front or even attempt to reclassify someone in the mold of Jon Kuminga.”"
In fact, per A Sea of Blue’s Ian Teasley, Evans recently forecasted Kuminga to indeed reclass at some point and also pointed to a potential path mirroring that of Marvin Bagley III, a former Duke basketball one-and-done sensation who in 2017 waited to decide on a reclass and a school until just before fall classes started:
"“I think [Kuminga’s] recruitment is going to be a fluid one. And it’s nowhere near being done when it comes to reclassifying or committing. I could see him — if he does reclassify — play things out this summer. Or even play on the [Nike] EYBL circuit. Kind of pull a [Marvin] Bagley. So I don’t think any decision is being made anytime soon.”"
Fact: Kuminga, who could instantly turn Duke’s 2020 haul into one of the game’s deepest and most talented in history, would be well worth the wait.
ALSO READ: Duke considers big reclass candidate from 2022 class
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