Duke basketball: Sizing up the 10 finalists for five-star big man
By Matt Giles
Ranking the top 10 for Duke basketball target Charles Bediako: Tennessee
Volunteers . 3. team. 534. . .
It’s possible that Tennessee could turn out to be the No. 1 archenemy of the Duke basketball program on the 2021 recruiting trail. Rick Barnes and his crew recently became the outright favorites to lure Sunrise Christian (Kan.) five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler from his childhood dream school in Durham, and that could lead to them adding his buddy and fellow Blue Devil target in O’Dea (Wash.) five-star power forward Paolo Banchero.
If the Volunteers were to also steer Charles Bediako their way, well, let’s just say the folks on Rocky Top would be celebrating at Duke’s expense. Ian Mumm of Busting Brackets examined their chances to do just that:
“Rick Barnes is no stranger to using strong and talented big men. During his tenure [at Texas], Barnes recruited LaMarcus Aldridge, Tristan Thompson, Dexter Pittman, and Myles Tuner…Barnes is working hard on securing the services of five-star power forwards Jabari Smith and Paolo Banchero, which would create a dynamic and dangerous frontcourt…However, the concern in this scenario is Bediako being limited on an offensive scale due to the bigger range and versatility of Smith and Banchero.”
Chance Tennessee basketball has at landing Charles Bediako: 14 percent