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Potential Duke basketball prospect leaving Durham for powerhouse school

By Kevin Connelly

Duke basketball (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
Duke basketball (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /
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A potential Duke basketball recruit is leaving Durham and heading to a powerhouse high school program for the remaining years of his eligibility.

Duke will no longer have a potential Class of 2022 recruit in its backyard as MJ Rice will be leaving Durham Academy in favor of Oak Hill Academy (Va.) in the fall.

Rice, who is recovering from ACL surgery, is the No. 22 player in the sophomore class, the No. 6 small forward, and the No. 2 prospect in the state of North Carolina, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings.

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The 6-foot-5, five-star prospect holds offers from schools such as North Carolina State, Boston College, and Pittsburgh, among many others, but has not officially picked up an offer from Mike Krzyzewski yet.

However, prior to his surgery, Rice took an unofficial visit to Duke and met with the coaching staff.

Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated was the first to report the news of Rice heading to Oak Hill, where he will join forces with fellow Class of 2022 stars Dior Johnson and Zion Cruz.

Johnson, a Syracuse commit, is transferring to the powerhouse program from Mayfair High School (Calif.) while Cruz is transferring in from Hudson Catholic High School (N.J.).

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The Blue Devils did not show any interest in Dior Johnson prior to his commitment the Orange while Duke has not yet shown any pursuit of Zion Cruz, although Syracuse has been hot on the point guard’s tail.

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With one player already locked down of the new Oak Hill trio and a possible second on the way, Mike Krzyzewski needs to be wary of his good friend Jim Boeheim should the Blue Devils want to extend an offer to the Durham native and try to lure the small forward back home.

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Duke currently does not have any commits in the Class of 2022, and the program has only extended one scholarship offer in the class, the No. 1 overall prospect Emoni Bates, according to Verbal Commits.

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