Duke basketball: Five-star recruit leaves Blue Devils off list, sort of

A couple of past Duke basketball players remain players for a coveted prep.

Recent interest from the Duke basketball coaches suggested they had a shot to land in the top six of St. Mark’s (Texas) small forward Harrison Ingram. So too did the fact that the five-star rising senior has labeled the university in Durham his “dream school” as a kid, per Rivals insider Corey Evans.

Nevertheless, on Saturday, after no word of an offer from Mike Krzyzewski and his staff, Ingram left Duke off his tweeted list of finalists: Harvard, Howard, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue, and Stanford. But while it now seems all but out of the question that the 6-foot-7, 210-pound versatile talent will be a Blue Devil, it’s not at all out of the realm of possibility that he will play for a Blue Devil.

The Duke basketball products who still have hope in the race

By choosing Harvard, Ingram would give former Duke basketball guard and assistant Tommy Amaker by far his highest-ranked recruit since taking over the Crimson program in 2007. To be fair, however, the hoops recruiters at the elite Ivy League school have seen some relatively impressive success of late, currently sitting No. 17 on the 247Sports 2021 Class Rankings.

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If the No. 13 overall prospect on the 247Sports 2021 Composite instead picks Howard, though, then while Ingram would also represent the top recruiting prize to date for another Duke basketball alum in second-year Bison head coach Kenny Blakeney, it wouldn’t be by a long shot. In early July, five-star center Makur Maker, who ranks No. 18 among his 2020 peers, made a major statement by committing to the HBCU program.

And according to Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers, Ingram’s parents both attended HBCUs. Evidently, this means Blakeney’s Howard program is a bonafide contender for the heralded 17-year-old, whose high intellect and advanced instincts on the court are far beyond his years.

As for Duke’s 2021 recruiting efforts, Coach K and his gang have already snagged one piece in five-star small forward AJ Griffin, who at No. 6 remains the nation’s highest-ranked pledge from the class. They are also still in pursuit of six other five-stars: point guard Kennedy Chandler, shooting guard Trevor Keels, small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., small forward Caleb Houstan, power forward Paolo Banchero, and center Charles Bediako.

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