Duke basketball staff gets chance to seal deal with top recruit
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball’s next chat with Patrick Baldwin Jr. could decide the race.
The longer it takes for Hamilton (Wis.) senior Patrick Baldwin Jr. to make up his mind, the more intense the five-star’s recruitment seems to become. Because according to what the prime Duke basketball target recently told Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers, most of his 10 finalists have yet to throw in the towel:
“I talk to pretty much every school on my list frequently.”
Baldwin Jr.’s list consists of longtime 247Sports Crystal Ball frontrunner Duke plus Kentucky, Georgetown, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, UCLA, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. But out of the bunch, the 6-foot-10, 205-pound small forward mentioned only the Blue Devils when speaking to Weingarten about any Zoom calls in his near future:
“I’m looking to do one with Duke soon.”
Plus, Baldwin Jr., who ranks No. 1 overall on the 247Sports 2021 Composite due in large part to his silky outside stroke and beyond-his-years hoops IQ, informed Weingarten that the only two peers in his ear about joining forces in college are Duke’s pair of five-star 2021 pledges in power forward Paolo Banchero (ranks No. 3) and small forward AJ Griffin (No. 6):
“The only [package deal] I’ve discussed right now is with Paolo [Banchero] and AJ [Griffin] at Duke. It hasn’t been anything ridiculous, but it’s just a possibility.”
As for when Baldwin Jr. intends to announce whether that possibility will become a reality, he did nothing more than state the obvious to Weingarten:
“No timetable as of now, but I do feel closer to a decision than I was a few weeks ago.”
Seeing that Baldwin Jr. has hinted in the past at deciding in time for the November signing period, one date that pops out is Nov. 18, his 18th birthday.
Duke basketball’s top threats haven’t subsided
From a Duke basketball perspective, one danger in a Nov. 18 announcement date would be that Baldwin Jr. is sure to spend that special day around his namesake, Pat Baldwin, who happens to be a legit contender in the battle as the head coach of UW-Milwaukee. The sentiments Baldwin Jr. expressed to Weingarten about his father’s program align with other recent comments:
“Playing for my dad would be huge right now. I think they have some really good pieces coming in for next year that could help me compete at a high level with them.”
Also, Baldwin Jr. highlighted two more schools that might be picking up steam:
“UCLA is a prestigious school with a ton of deep history. Having to possibly follow in the footsteps of great basketball players is always intriguing…And Michigan has pleasantly surprised me as of late. I’m a huge film guy, and they’ve frequently sent me a film of their offense and even went in-depth on it during a Zoom call. Coach [Juwan] Howard’s program is headed in the right direction…”
Yes, as Mike Krzyzewski and his crew did with Banchero in August, they may need to turn their upcoming Zoom call with Baldwin Jr. into a done-deal commitment before others have time to further turn up the heat.
Three other high school seniors, all five-stars, are still pondering Duke basketball offers: shooting guard Trevor Keels, small forward Caleb Houstan, and center Charles Bediako. Like Baldwin Jr., while all three have named finalists, they also haven’t given definitive timelines for picking a winner.
ALSO READ: Insider says Duke has ‘ground to make up’ for five-star
Currently, Banchero and Griffin are the only two members of Duke’s 2021 haul.
Related Story. Three 2023 recruits who should land Duke offers. light
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Patrick Baldwin Jr. plus other Duke basketball recruiting news and views.