Duke basketball: Coveted recruit commits to Blue Devil legend

A two-time Duke basketball national champ has reeled in an A-list prospect.

Former Duke basketball point guard Bobby Hurley (1989-93), a New Jersey native who remains the all-time NCAA assists leader with 1,076 and whose No. 11 jersey number forever hangs from the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium, landed an impressive commitment on Thursday for his Arizona State basketball program.

Hurley’s latest prize, George Harris Prep (Ont.) center Enoch Boakye, ranks No. 32 overall on the 247Sports 2022 Composite and had previously committed to Michigan State but decided to reopen his recruitment in February.

Now, the 6-foot-11, 240-pound four-star told Travis Branham of 247Sports that he intends to reclass from 2022 to 2021, giving the Sun Devils a five-deep class that also includes four three-star prospects.

Following the announcement, Arizona State insider Chris Karpman of 247Sports pointed out via tweet the added significance of Boakye’s decision:

"“He is the highest-ranked center to ever sign with the program in the history of all major Internet recruiting/scouting services.”"

While Boakye never actually revealed a list of finalists this go-round, he ultimately chose the Sun Devils over the likes of Arizona, Illinois, Maryland, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.

The Duke basketball recruiting pursuit that never fully materialized

True, the Duke basketball coaches had shown significant interest in Enoch Boakye prior to his original pledge to Michigan State last summer.

That said, even though there was also reported interest out of Durham immediately following his decommitment, there was never any word of head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his gang officially extending an offer to the burly big man, who hails from the same hometown of Mississauga as Duke product RJ Barrett.

Nevertheless, despite not technically beating out his former coach for Boakye’s services — and despite Arizona State’s disappointing 11-14 record in the 2020-21 season when considering a 2020 recruiting class that featured two top 30 talents — it’s clear that Bobby Hurley at least has the necessary recruiting game to one day thrive in his current job.

And it is definitely worth noting that Hurley’s name still occasionally pops up as a legit contender to succeed Coach K, whenever the 74-year-old Hall of Famer’s retirement date rolls around.

Through six seasons at the helm of Arizona State, Bobby Hurley has compiled a 104-83 overall record, reaching the NCAA Tournament twice yet never advancing past the Round of 64. Previously, the Duke legend held a 42-20 mark across two years at Buffalo.