Duke basketball sees familiar rival make strong push for coveted prospect

A rival of the Duke basketball team is making a strong push for a coveted Blue Devil recruit. 

After a slow start in courting the Class of 2022, the Duke basketball program is making strong pushes for some of the top targets, but head coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer now has some tough competition.

Scheyer and the Blue Devils extended an offer to four-star prospect Kyle Filipowski and hosted the Wilbraham, Massachusetts native for a visit on June 28, but after showcasing his skills at the Peach Jam this month, John Calipari and Kentucky have entered the race.

The Wildcats extended an offer to Filipowski on July 19 and are one of the many suitors trying to lure the 6-foot-11, 230 pound center to their respective campus.

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Filipowski is ranked as the No. 33 player in the Class of 2022, No. 6 center, and No. 1 player in the state of Massachusetts, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Kyle Filipowski holds over 30 offers but has only taken four visits thus far: to Duke, Syracuse, Ohio State, and Indiana.

Currently, the 247Sports Crystal Ball has Filipowski has a heavy lean to Duke, seeing six analysts log a prediction to the Blue Devils.

Kyle Filipowski has said that he hopes to announce his college decision prior to the start of his final high school basketball season.

Duke basketball still courting many other prospects in the Class of 2022

As the recruiting race for Kyle Filipowski heats up, one recruiting battle is winding down, and that is for five-star prospect Dariq Whitehead.

Whitehead, a star at Montverde Academy, will announce his decision on August 1, and he is also expected to commit to the Blue Devils.

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Duke does not have any commitments from players in the Class of 2022, but here are the remaining players Jon Scheyer has offered: Yorkville Christian (Ill.) three-star shooting guard Jaden Schutt, Coppell (Texas) four-star combo guard Anthony Black, La Lumiere (Ind.) four-star point guard JJ Starling, Sunrise Christian (Kan.) five-star small forward Mark Mitchell, and Westtown (Pa.) five-star center Dereck Lively.

It certainly will be a pressure-packed few months for Scheyer as he looks to build his first recruiting class as a head coach.