Kentucky loss could help Duke basketball attract No. 1 power forward

Did the Duke basketball pursuit of a West Coast recruit get a sudden boost?

In April, O’Dea (Wash.) five-star Paolo Banchero named Duke basketball a finalist along with five others: Arizona, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Washington. While the entire top six is still in contention for the 6-foot-9, 235-pound prized versatile bruiser, insiders have opined that should the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 power forward on the 247Sports 2021 Composite opt to head east for college, then his recruitment might be a duel between Duke and Kentucky.

ALSO READ: Duke shows signs of life in a mega five-star recruiting battle

Banchero, who hasn’t swayed from his stated plan to wait until spring to choose a school, took official visits to both Lexington and Durham last October. While the 17-year-old Seattle native has spoken highly of coaches from both Duke and Kentucky, what he said to 247Sports a few months back about the Wildcats staff would require a small deletion — yet possibly a highly impactful one— now that John Calipari has lost elite recruiter Kenny Payne to the New York Knicks:

“Coach [John Calipari], coach [Tony] Barbee, coach [Kenny] Payne, their resume speaks for itself, especially when it comes to my position…they go pro and [become] All-Stars and have great college careers.”

Sure, following Tuesday’s announcement of Payne becoming an NBA assistant, CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein reported that Calipari has responded with the hiring of Indiana assistant Bruiser Flint. That said, from all accounts, the absence of Payne has the potential to bring some pain to Kentucky recruiting. After all, just last week, Jeff Goodman of Stadium had ranked Payne the No. 1 SEC assistant and included this quote from an anonymous coach in the conference:

“Obviously, Kenny is known as a great recruiter, but many people don’t see how he holds guys accountable and pushes buttons to get the best out of them. Kenny is super connected and is at the forefront of what Kentucky is getting done on the recruiting trail. I think it’s truly amazing! He’s got a great way about him.”

Ironically, a large chunk of New York’s motivation to hire Payne looks to have been his potential to lure his past Kentucky players, particularly top-shelf big fellas, as free agents to the Big Apple. Here’s what A Sea of Blue analyst Jason Marcum noted about that recruiting prowess:

“Not only is Payne one of the more promising assistants in college basketball, but he also has close relationships with former Wildcats who are now NBA stars, including Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, and Jamal Murray among others…[New York] will obviously hope the addition of Payne will make it easier to pursue former Wildcats who become available in the coming years.”

Marcum also pointed out a comment from Towns last year, which could spell even happier times ahead for Duke on the recruiting trail when considering Kentucky has been its most common foe for five-star talents (the Blue Devils and Wildcats have combined for all but one of the nation’s No. 1 classes from the past 13 cycles; make that all of them if you disqualify Memphis last year due to the ineligibility of James Wiseman). This is what Towns reportedly expressed to The Athletic:

“[Kenny Payne] is one of the best development coaches in the world. KP is the horse beneath the jockey driving Kentucky basketball.”

As for the Banchero race — not to mention a few more with both the Blue Devils and Wildcats as legit contenders — Kentucky’s pain could result in Duke’s pleasure. Payne’s exit to the pro ranks definitely shouldn’t hurt the guys in Durham.

Others holding Duke basketball offers

Mike Krzyzewski and his gang have already landed one 2021 commit in small forward AJ Griffin, who is a five-star and the highest-ranked member of the class to come off the board thus far (No. 6). And the Blue Devils remain in the chase for five more rising seniors outside of Banchero, all five-stars: point guard Kennedy Chandler, shooting guard Trevor Keels, small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., small forward Caleb Houstan, and center Charles Bediako.

The 2021-22 roster outlook, though blurry for various reasons, seems to say the Duke basketball recruiting team needs to haul in at least three more pieces from the group, including at least one big man. And Banchero would undoubtedly have the potential to be a game-changer addition.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Paolo Banchero plus other Duke basketball recruiting news and views.