Duke basketball: Decommitted recruit gets call from Blue Devils

The Duke basketball staff appears to be eyeing some depth in the backcourt.

On Thursday, Compass Prep (Ariz.) point guard TyTy Washington announced his decommitment from Creighton. As one would expect in what is now the only wide-open pursuit for one of the top 50 recruits on the 247Sports 2021 Composite, the four-star’s phone must’ve blown up. And evidently, the Duke basketball staff was among the callers.

According to a tweet from Tipton Edits not long after Washington’s tweet to publicly cut ties with Creighton, Duke joined Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Pitt in the initial wave of programs that reached out to the 6-foot-3, 175-pound playmaker, who ranks No. 30 overall.

Later, Stock Risers insider Jake Weingarten reported via tweet a truckload of others suddenly showing interest: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Dayton, Georgetown, Maryland, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Washington, and Washington State.

Eric Bossi of 247Sports then chimed in with an explanation for all the attention that Washington has already garnered:

“Washington is above all else a very skilled and crafty point guard…What makes him really attractive on the college level is that Washington is just as dangerous playing off of the ball because of his scoring. The ability to play him with another point guard and give an extra ball handler is a strong selling point to those looking to get involved.”

What Duke basketball may have to offer

From a Duke basketball perspective, it seems TyTy Washington could fit in nicely with expected returnees DJ Steward, Jeremy Roach, and Wendell Moore to form one of the nation’s premier perimeter collections.

Of course, it’s also worth noting that the 247Sports Crystal Ball doesn’t favor Duke right now for any of its three 2021 targets still holding an offer: Paul VI (Va.) five-star shooting guard Trevor Keels, Hamilton (Wis.) five-star small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., and IMG (Fla.) five-star center Charles Bediako.

As for why Washington might want to move across the country to play in Durham, well, it can’t hurt that he and 2021 Duke basketball signee Paolo Banchero, a five-star power forward out of O’Dea (Wash.) who ranks No. 3 overall in the class, are at least familiar with one another’s game and respectful of each other’s talents, as one can see from their recent clash:

Banchero responded to the news of Washington’s decommitment by tweeting the following:

https://twitter.com/Pp_doesit/status/1370106470440783879?s=20

So maybe Banchero could play a part in the Blue Devils swaying TyTy Washington to #TheBrotherhood should Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants decide to soon officially enter the race with an offer.

Duke’s only other 2021 signee at this point is Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) five-star small forward AJ Griffin, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound chiseled slasher who ranks No. 7 overall.