Rejections aside, patience may pay on the Duke basketball recruiting front.
As of Tennessee’s no-surprise commitment on Friday from five-star point guard Kennedy Chandler, the Duke basketball recruiting team is officially down to five targets. All five are five-stars who rank among the top 20 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite: small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. at No. 1, power forward Paolo Banchero at No. 3, small forward Caleb Houstan at No. 8, shooting guard Trevor Keels at No. 16, and center Charles Bediako at No. 20.
But after a blazing start on the 2021 trail via the November pledge from five-star small forward AJ Griffin — still the highest-ranked senior off the board at No. 6 — Mike Krzyzewski and his staff have since struck out with three of their nine offers (Chandler, Michigan State commit Max Christie, and reclassed G League prize Jonathan Kuminga). Chances are the Blue Devils won’t end up batting 1-for-9, though.
What the Duke basketball track record suggests
Success in recent years points to the coaches in Durham being among the top contenders in each of their unfinished races; after all, they’ve ended with top three hauls in each of the past seven recruiting cycles (No. 1 on three occasions). So despite Duke now sitting only No. 31 in the country for 2021, per 247Sports class rankings, in all likelihood anywhere from one to four of the five prospects remaining on their radar will join #TheBrotherhood.
And it stands to reason the Duke recruiters will indeed need at least three more additions to their class. For one, seniors Jordan Goldwire and Patrick Tape will expire their eligibility this season. Plus, it’s a near-certainty that early departures will ensue next spring from two or more of underclassmen Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore, Joey Baker, Jalen Johnson, DJ Steward, Jeremy Roach, Jaemyn Brakefield, Henry Coleman, and Mark Williams.
Simply put, significant playing time should be up for grabs at most every position.
Sure, Coach K and his crew could wind up filling some holes with grad transfers or recruits they have yet to prioritize (keep in mind, however, more than half of the top 100 prospects have already wrapped up their recruitments).
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Of course, it’s also reasonable to think the primary 2021 plans of the Blue Devils won’t go awry. Maybe they’re just relative slowpokes this time around, subscribing to the adage that good things come to those who are willing to wait (see: Patrick Baldwin Jr.).
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting news and views.