Duke basketball recruiting target ‘open to the G League’

Surely, the Duke basketball recruiters will soon focus on some 2022 talent.

While the Duke basketball coaches are still trying to capture one more specific prize from the 2021 class — see Patrick Baldwin Jr. — many fans are understandably wondering when the Blue Devils will finally begin extending offers to the next crop.

ALSO READ: Sizing up 3 legit contenders for Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Whenever that day comes, one name that stands out as a probable offer recipient is Oak Hill (Va.) small forward MJ Rice, who ranks No. 19 overall on the 247Sports 2022 Composite.

After all, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound five-star has been on Duke’s radar for several years now.

In fact, before transferring for his junior campaign, the attack-mode athlete played for Durham Academy (N.C.); as a freshman there, he was a teammate to head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s grandson, Michael Savarino, who is nowadays a Blue Devil walk-on. Also, Rice made frequent appearances behind Duke’s bench two seasons ago.

Update from the prime Duke basketball recruiting prospect

In his latest SI blog, MJ Rice mentioned his most recent offers from Virginia Tech and Kansas. And he then pointed out that the Duke basketball staff is among a few from the ACC keeping tabs on his development:

“The regular schools that had always been on me…Pitt, Duke, NC State, and a bunch of others…are staying in touch.”

Rice then made sure to note that he would be receptive to any new suitors, including the increasingly popular G League Ignite select team, which has already nabbed five five-stars between the 2020 and 2021 recruiting cycles via six-figure one-year contracts:

“I just want to say again that I’m open to everyone, so I definitely want colleges to reach out. I’m just enjoying the process, and getting all of the options I can is a part of the process. I’m open to the G League and every option out there.”

Now, Rice expressed no hurry in choosing a destination beyond high school. Yet he has also said in recent months that he intends to decide by the end of this calendar year.

Currently, the five 247Sports Crystal Ball picks, which all arrived in a wave across February, project MJ Rice to ultimately end up at NC State.