Recruiting target suggests Duke basketball scared off other suitors
By Matt Giles
It seems some don’t even bother battling Duke basketball recruiters.
The high-powered Duke basketball recruiting machine extended an offer to Centennial (Calif.) five-star junior and TikTok sensation Jared Mccain in early November. Shortly after that, per his conversation this week with SI.com national recruiting insider Jason Jordan, the 6-foot-2, 175-pound shooting guard noticed a dramatic shift in his overall recruitment:
“It’s funny. After Duke offered, some schools just stopped talking to me. Most stayed in contact, but that changed things.”
No wonder. After all, ever since the Duke Blue Devils named Jon Scheyer the head coach-in-waiting in June, the juggernaut program has landed eight commitments — with only one rejection mixed in — between the 2022 and 2023 classes. Subsequently, Scheyer and his gang hold the top spot on the 2022 and 2023 247Sports Team Rankings.
Possible timeline for the Duke basketball recruiting target
Jared Mccain, a smooth all-purpose playmaker who has soared from No. 78 to No. 23 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite within the past six months, currently holds more than a dozen offers. Although the Crystal Ball pegs Duke as the frontrunner, there’s only one entered pick at this still-early stage; meanwhile, plenty of buzz remains around Gonzaga, UCLA, and others in the race.
At the moment, Mccain has only two official visits on tap: to Duke Feb. 6-8 and Gonzaga a week later. Presumably, he’ll attend the Blue Devils’ Feb. 7 home game against Virginia while in Durham.
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Also, Mccain informed Jordan of his plans to name a handful of finalists within the next month or two then perhaps decide on a winner around summer’s end.
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