Three huge Duke basketball recruiting races nearing finish line
By Matt Giles
It’s now the calm before the storm on the Duke basketball recruiting trail.
The last Duke basketball recruiting splash was way back in August. It came by way of the surprise announcement from O’Dea (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound absolute force who ranks No. 2 among high school seniors on the 247Sports 2021 Composite.
Prior to Banchero’s decision, it had been almost 10 months since Mike Krzyzewski and his staff pulled off a pledge from any prep. That was in November 2019 via Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) small forward AJ Griffin. He sits No. 7 in the class and has reportedly grown into a 6-foot-8, 220-pound rock (not playing right now, for his team’s season is a no-go due to pandemic precautions).
Naturally, long gaps between commitments stir anxiety for some ardent followers of such Blue Devil news.
Of course, as these folks have often witnessed, long droughts in Durham simply signal five-star showers ahead. And as it stands, offers are out to three 2021 talents. Plus, like Banchero and Griffin, IMG Academy (Fla.) center Charles Bediako, Paul VI (Va.) shooting guard Trevor Keels, and Hamilton (Wis.) combo forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. boast five-star ratings.
Thus, what continues to be a lull in Duke basketball recruiting news could soon become a bombardment of delights for Coach K & Co. In fact, the powerhouse recruiters might still end up with one of the program’s all-time greatest hauls.
So where do things stand with the three remaining targets? Let’s look at each…