Duke basketball: Top five reasons for Coach K’s sudden recruiting slump
By Matt Giles
Explanations for Duke basketball recruiting drought: INSPIRED COMPETITION
5. INSPIRED COMPETITION
Granted, Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) small forward AJ Griffin, who committed to Duke in early November, still represents the nation’s top 2021 commit (No. 7 composite ranking). Yet the 6-foot-7, 200-pound five-star also represents the last recruit to have joined #TheBrotherhood. Plus, his announcement might have represented the final straw for some bluebloods who have grown tired of watching Mike Krzyzewski dominate the recruiting game at their expense.
One frequent foe of the Blue Devils, Michigan State head honcho Tom Izzo, has evidently said enough is enough. In late June, the Spartans snagged a commitment from the No. 1 player in the 2022 class, Lincoln (Mich.) small forward Emoni Bates. They followed that up with good news on Tuesday from Rolling Meadows (Ill.) shooting guard Max Christie, a rising senior who admitted on Thursday to MSU Sports Zone that he was initially leaning toward playing for Coach K:
“Duke was originally my frontrunner. Over time, I just realized it wasn’t the best fit for me.”
In addition to Izzo & Co., coaches at places such as North Carolina and Tennessee have seen notable surges in five-star successes across the past couple of recruiting cycles, some of which left the Blue Devils searching for answers (names like UNC incoming freshman center Walker Kessler and UT rising sophomore guard Josiah-Jordan James come to mind). Moving on…