The top five rated recruits in Duke basketball history will surprise you

When it comes to high school players, there aren’t many who were as good as RJ Barrett. National Player of the Year, No. 1 ranked player in his class, and the highest-rated recruit in Duke basketball history. He is the only player in program history to have a 1.0000 recruit rating.

Barrett was dominant in his high school years at Montverde Academy. In his senior season, he averaged 28.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. But his amazing years in high school weren’t the most impressive portion of his basketball career prior to arriving at Duke.

The most impressive moments we saw from Barrett came from the international circuit, most specifically in the 2017 FIBA U19 World Cup. As a 17-year-old, he took down the U19 USA National Team in the semifinals and would then would capture gold against Italy. Against Team USA, he recorded 38 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Putting the basketball world on notice.

RJ had an amazing freshman year at Duke, averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. Although the super team of himself, Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, and Tre Jones weren’t able to win a national championship, they were able to reach the Elite 8, before being knocked out by Michigan State. After the season concluded, he declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, where he was selected No. 3 overall by the New York Knicks.

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Not every single five-star recruit turns out to be an amazing player in college. Sometimes a player’s skill set just doesn’t translate well to the next level. Some players on this list were Duke basketball greats, others just mediocre. Which name on this list surprised you the most?

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