Duke basketball recruiting: 4 fantastic facts about Dariq Whitehead

The fourth fantastic fact about Duke basketball commit Dariq Whitehead

FACT: Whitehead has been, and now always will be, a lifelong Duke fan.

Harking back in this article to the Jalen Johnson mention, lost in the conversation when he bolted from Durham is the fact he had admitted as a recruit that his childhood college basketball allegiance was with Kentucky.

Not Whitehead. No, quite the opposite. Here’s what the 17-year-old told ESPN this week while soaking in the feeling from a longtime dream materializing via his easy-choice pledge to Duke:

“Growing up, Duke has always been the school of my dreams. I loved Coach K, the style of play, and the type of players he recruited.”

Whitehead then touched on Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement next spring in addition to Jon Scheyer’s upcoming reign, pointing out his trust that he’ll be in good hands:

“Coach K told me he will still be there for me to help me. That meant a lot to me…[Scheyer] played and coached with Coach K. I have been impressed with him and believe in him.”

And while Whitehead alluded to the allure of other offers, he seems to believe fate guided him to the right spot:

“Once my recruiting process began, I started having mixed feelings seeing all the other opportunities out there. I was getting so much love from different schools it made my decision hard. It wasn’t until my official visit, the moment I stepped foot on campus, I knew Duke was home.”

It won’t be long until that statement is true both in spirit and presence.

Less than 500 days remain until the surefire crowdpleaser’s first home-sweet-home game as a Duke basketball treasure.