Duke basketball: Gonzaga star wanted offer from Coach K

A Gonzaga basketball phenom had hoped to land on the Duke basketball radar.

With 27 points and a 7-for-10 clip from downtown, Gonzaga basketball freshman Jalen Suggs was the No. 1 scorer for the No. 1 team in the country during Saturday’s 99-88 statement win over No. 3 Iowa in South Dakota. While the Suggs show was happening, recruiting insider Joe Tipton of Tipton Edits cruelly tweeted a reminder to Duke basketball fans and those of Kentucky:

“Prior to committing to Gonzaga, Jalen Suggs told me he was hoping to receive offers from Duke and Kentucky. Wonder if those programs regret not offering him? Looking like arguably the best player in the country right now.”

Now, it is important to remember that things are suddenly looking up for No. 21 Duke (3-2, 1-0 ACC) after its heartening victory at Notre Dame on Wednesday. Meanwhile, things are looking increasingly worse for unranked Kentucky (1-5, 0-0 SEC) after its loss to UNC in Cleveland on Saturday.

In other words, of the two blueblood recruiting rivals, the Wildcats appear significantly more desperate for help right now than the Blue Devils. Therefore, it seems Tipton’s message was more so a punch to the gut of Big Blue Nation.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubt any fanbase in America would be thrilled to enjoy the deep toolbox of the uber-confident Suggs, whose silky stroke from deep extended beyond 25 feet versus the Hawkeyes.

The electric guard from Minnesota — a source of several Duke basketball stars in recent years, including Matthew Hurt, Tre Jones, Tyus Jones, and Gary Trent Jr. — had a previous career-high of 24 points, which came in Gonzaga’s season-opening defeat of Kansas. Suggs is now averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals for the well-oiled Bulldogs (4-0, 0-0 WCC).

Did the Duke basketball coaches misprize the Gonzaga basketball prize?

Granted, the staff in Durham did show some interest in Jalen Suggs. After all, it’s not as if the skills of the 6-foot-4, 205-pound five-star were some secret on the recruiting trail. In fact, the sure-footed playmaker and quick-trigger sharpshooter finished No. 11 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite, two spots higher than Duke’s top prospect from the class, forward Jalen Johnson.

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But the Blue Devils had snagged early signatures from all six of their 2020 signees, including five-star guards Jeremy Roach and DJ Steward. As a result, it’s likely Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants felt they had already hauled in enough premier pieces and didn’t need to seek out guys like Suggs, who didn’t commit to Gonzaga until after the fall signing period.

Plus, Suggs was a heralded dual-threat quarterback in high school who held football offers from the likes of Georgia, Ohio State, and Nebraska. And early on in his recruitment, he was on the fence about whether his future lied on the hardwood or the gridiron.

All in all, Duke didn’t exactly make a mistake. Yet Suggs is sensational.

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