Duke basketball signees and recruits take center stage

Duke basketball pledges and recruits will be taking center stage this weekend. 

One of the most prestigious high school basketball events will be taking place this weekend, and a ton of Duke basketball signees and recruits will take center stage.

The HoopHall Classic is already underway in Springfield, Massachusetts, but the action truly does not heat up until late Friday night when the Westtown School (Pa.) and No. 1 player in the Class of 2022 Dereck Lively II take the floor.

Lively, a Duke commit, will face Vertical Academy (N.C.) at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN+ in the team’s first game of the event before hitting the floor again on Sunday night (7:00 p.m.) to face Gill St. Bernard’s (N.J.) on ESPN2.

Gill St. Bernard’s features Mackenzie Mgbako, a prime Duke recruit in the Class of 2023.

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Mgbako is ranked as a five-star prospect and the No. 3 player in the junior class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. The 6-foot-8 forward has four Crystal Ball Predictions for the Blue Devils.

The Knights will first get on the floor on Saturday morning (10:00 a.m, FloSports) against Simeon Career Academy (Ill.).

Mark Mitchell, a five-star Duke signee in the Class of 2022, and Sunrise Christian Academy (Kan.) will begin their showcase on Saturday afternoon (1:30 p.m., FloSports) against Combine Academy (N.C.).

Mitchell, the No. 15 player in his class, will also play on Sunday (5:00 p.m., ESPN+) against Wasatch Academy (Utah).

More future Duke basketball players in action this weekend

Oak Hill Academy (Va.), which features one of the newest Blue Devils in the Class of 2022, Christian Reeves, will play two games in Massachusetts this weekend: on Saturday (3:00 p.m., ESPN+) against LaLumiere School (Ind.) and Sunday (1:30 p.m., FloSports) against Gonzaga College High School (D.C.).

Caleb Foster, a current 2023 Duke commit, also stars for Oak Hill, and there have been rumblings of him potentially reclassifying to 2022.

Kyle Filipowski and Wilbraham and Monson Academy (Mass.) will play in the second game on Monday morning against Life Christian Academy (Fla.) at 11:00 a.m. on ESPNU.

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Filipowski, another five-star 2022 pledge to the Blue Devils, is ranked as the No. 7 player in his class.

Dariq Whitehead and the powerhouse Montverde Academy (Fla.) will get two games on the weekend as well, first against DeMatha Catholic High School (Md.) on Saturday (4:00 p.m., ESPN+) and on Sunday (3:00 p.m., ESPNU) against the potent IMG Academy (Fla.).

Duke currently holds the No. 1 recruiting class both in 2022 and 2023, according to 247Sports.