Duke basketball commits to square off on national TV
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball fans can catch a glimpse this week of the future in Durham.
Between the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, the Duke basketball program boasts eight pledges to date. Five of the eight hold five-star ratings. And three of those five five-stars will be in action on ESPNU this week at the La Porte Invitational in Indiana as part of the newly formed National Interscholastic Basketball Conference Series.
The first future Blue Devil to take the floor at the showcase will be 2023 point guard Caleb Foster, who ranks No. 9 overall on the 247Sports 2023 Composite and became the first in his class to commit to the Duke Blue Devils back in September. His school, Oak Hill (Va.), will face Wasatch (Utah) at 3 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPNU.
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Immediately following that game, Sunrise Christian (Kan.) will take on Montverde (Fla.) at 5 p.m. ET (also on ESPNU). This contest will pit two 2022 Duke basketball prizes against one another. Both are small forwards: Mark Mitchell and Dariq Whitehead. Mitchell, who ranks No. 15 in the class, plays for Sunrise Christian. Meanwhile, Whitehead, who ranks No. 4, stars for Montverde.
Games on ESPN+ featuring these future Duke basketball players
The eight-team event continues on Friday and Saturday. And ESPN+, which requires a paid subscription, will air all of those games.
At 7 p.m. ET Friday, Caleb Foster and Oak Hill will play La Lumiere (Ind.). Then at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, they will face Bishop Walsh (Md.).
At 3 p.m. ET Friday, Mark Mitchell and Sunrise Christian will play Wasatch. Then at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, they will face Legacy Early College (S.C.).
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At 5 p.m. ET Friday, Dariq Whitehead and Montverde will play Bishop Walsh. Then at 7 p.m. ET Saturday, they will face La Lumiere.