Five-star Duke basketball target quickly growing fond of Coach K

A 2022 recruit appears to enjoy facts about the Duke basketball head coach.

The Duke basketball program’s pursuit of Montverde Academy (Fla.) small forward Caleb Houstan has the potential to be a swiftly effective one.

Friday evening, shortly after news broke of the 6-foot-8, 200-pound five-star becoming the first in his class to pick up an offer from the Blue Devils, the rising junior’s SI blog came out, which he began with general updates to his recruitment:

“A lot has changed since my last blog as far as my recruiting because as of June 15 college coaches can call 2022 players like myself directly. I had heard a lot about that date from other players, so I was excited…I heard from schools like Duke, Alabama, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Michigan State, and Arizona…they all offered me. It was my first time talking to all of the coaches…it was great just getting to know them and getting to know more about the schools.”

Houstan, who hails from Mississauga, Ont., meaning he shares the same hometown and prep school as former one-and-done Blue Devil RJ Barrett, specifically highlighted his chat with Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski:

“For example, just talking to Coach K about how he started coaching at West Point was interesting to me. I didn’t know that he started there, so just to hear about his journey over the last 40 years was cool. I like things like that.”

ALSO READ: Ranking all 40 Duke teams under Coach K

There’s good reason Caleb Houstan has the Duke basketball chief’s attention

As SI recruiting insider Jason Jordan hinted at in the intro to Houstan’s blog, the No. 7 overall prospect on the 247Sports 2022 Composite displays the type of top-shelf shooting, hoops acumen, athleticism, and production that could make him one of the most sought-after talents among his peers:

“This season, the 6-foot-8.5 sophomore was an intricate part of what some were saying could be the best high school team ever; Montverde Academy finished No. 1 in the country and undefeated. Houstan led the U16 Canadian National Team last summer, averaging 22.8 points a game, and has everyone from Gonzaga to Oregon to Virginia, among many others all giving chase.”

Houstan now holds more than a dozen offers, including other notable ones from Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas Tech. He has not given a timeline for choosing a destination. He also hasn’t named finalists. Furthermore, he hasn’t given any hints as to favorites by means of scheduling official visits. Therefore, one could presume an announcement date is likely to be more than a year away.

On the other hand, though, per Rivals recruiting insider Corey Evans, the 17-year-old intends to decide before summer’s end whether or not he is going to reclassify to 2021. Conceivably, if Caleb Houstan does make the move up a grade, then a commitment could soon follow.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting news and views.