Optimism remains in Duke basketball’s longtime chase of Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Aside from the 247Sports Crystal Ball, which has favored Milwaukee over the Duke basketball program for several months, it doesn’t seem as if much has really changed across the past year in the battle for Hamilton (Wis.) forward Patrick Baldwin Jr.
No, ever since early May 2020, the 6-foot-10, 205-pound silky five-star has been down to the same 10 finalists: Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, Michigan, Milwaukee, Northwestern, UCLA, UNC, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Of course, due to a closed recruiting trail, Baldwin hasn’t seen an opportunity to tip his hand at all via face-to-face meetings with his suitors. Actually, that’s not entirely true considering the 18-year-old lives under the same roof as Milwaukee head coach Pat Baldwin, his namesake father.
Nevertheless, Baldwin, who at No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2021 Composite is the only likely college-bound prospect in the top 20 still contemplating his destination, has continued to speak positively about all the coaches in pursuit.
And the only real news he has offered about his decision during chats with insiders came in February when he told Jason Jordan of SI that he’s “75 percent sure” of which school he’ll ultimately pick. Now, whether or not Baldwin has changed his mind in the months since remains to be seen.
But there do appear to be three signs suggesting the Blue Devils are still legit contenders in the race. So let’s examine each of those signs here, one at a time…