Duke basketball: Promising prospect likes Blue Devils, Tar Heels

A 2022 recruit has conveyed Duke basketball and UNC basketball aspirations.

There’s definitely some bounce in his game, smoothness in his stroke, and passion in his reactions. Yes, at first glimpse, it sure looks as if IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star junior and admitted Duke basketball follower Noah Batchelor would fit well in a Blue Devil jersey. Apparently, though, the slick small forward has also dabbled in UNC basketball fandom from time to time.

According to what Batchelor said this week to Tipton Edits recruiting insider Joseph Tipton, his eyes have long been on both the Blue Devils and Tar Heels:

“Growing up, it was Duke and UNC.”

Back in June, before steadily dropping from No. 52 to his current ranking of No. 98 on the 247Sports 2022 Composite, the 6-foot-6, 185-pound Maryland native expressed a similar sentiment about Duke and UNC to Travis Branham of 247Sports. That said, Batchelor did seem to slightly favor the school in Durham over the one eight miles down Tobacco Road in Chapel Hill:

“Mostly, I feel like my dream school growing up was Duke, so that would be crazy if Duke would [extend an offer], and also North Carolina.”

Yet despite a clear desire to be on the radars of the two premier rivals in college hoops, Batchelor has yet to report significant interest from either the Blue Devils or Tar Heels. However, he does possess double-digit offers and told Tipton that he is hearing often from Georgetown, Georgia, Marquette, Maryland, Memphis, NC State, Purdue, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Tech.

Also, Batchelor suggested his relatively low ranking for a blueblood target shouldn’t be a problem — at least not in his adamant opinion — for either Duke or UNC:

“I don’t like the rankings, and they definitely don’t matter. Once you get to college, those rankings mean nothing, but once you stop worrying about your ‘rank,’ you’ll be a much better ballplayer. People shouldn’t rely on rankings.”

Will UNC and Duke basketball one day see Noah Batchelor in conference play?

Judging from Noah Batchelor’s above comments about the Blue Devils and Tar Heels, there’s little doubt he’d strongly consider playing for either. But per what his dad, Keith, pointed out last March to Clint Jackson of Rivals, the confident playmaker has, first and foremost, just had his sights on being an ACC player:

“His dream has always been to play in the ACC.”

Duke still has no offers on the table to current high school juniors. Plus, there’s been no word of recent contact with any members of the class from Mike Krzyzewski or his staff.

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