Official Duke basketball roster contains suspect info

Duke basketball players may be bigger than the roster makes them out to be.

The 247Sports 2020 Composite has Henry Coleman No. 51 overall, the lowest ranking of the six incoming Duke basketball freshmen, and tags the Trinity Episcopal (Va.) product as a 6-foot-8, 240-pound power forward. Those measurements represent a remarkable bump from a 6-foot-6, 190-pound listing at the time of his November signing; simply put, they suggest the Richmond native could be a force anywhere in the paint for the Blue Devils as a rookie.

Meanwhile, the official 2020-21 roster that GoDuke.com released this week shows Coleman as having a meager 6-foot-7, 210-pound frame. If true, then the 18-year-old would no doubt need to rely on his notably positive attitude, high IQ, and supercharged motor in order to have any shot at holding his own down low in ACC play.

Fortunately for the Blue Devils, mixtapes from Coleman’s senior year appear to side with the notion that his weight is more in tune with what 247Sports now displays:

More reasons to believe the Duke basketball roster is inaccurate

Fans can only hope the sports information team in Durham simply compiled the roster with dated info on Coleman. It seems safe to assume that’s the case considering the players have yet to arrive on campus, meaning they surely haven’t stepped on a scale at Duke anytime recently.

Obviously, the same-as-last-year heights and weights of the four returning scholarship Blue Devils also back the assumption that there is actually nothing at all official when it comes to the roster’s listed measurements.

Besides, if rising sophomore power forward Matthew Hurt is indeed still the 6-foot-9, 214-pound beanpole that he was for a 2019-20 Duke team that finished 25-6, then the former five-star recruit from Minnesota would likely begin next season where he spent most of his time down the stretch last season: on the bench.

ALSO READ: Ranking all 40 Duke teams under Coach K

Barring any postponements or venue changes in light of current world conditions, Duke will tip off the 2020-21 campaign on Nov. 10 in Chicago against Michigan State as part of the Champions Classic.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more news and views regarding all things Duke basketball.