Giant Duke basketball signee posts ginormous double-double

Duke basketball fans should soon enjoy Dereck Lively II.

Ever since moving to No. 1 on the 247Sports 2022 Composite in September, Westtown (Pa.) senior center Dereck Lively II has done nothing to call into question his top-prize status. No, the Duke basketball signee continues to deliver big-time individual boxscores, including his latest outing.

Now, the rebounding count varies depending on the source. That’s typical for high school stats; they’re far from an exact science. Regardless, it’s clear Lively was, well, quite lively on Wednesday night in his squad’s 70-61 win over Perkiomen at this week’s PA Cup, which featured four of the best prep squads in Pennsylvania.

While The Season Ticket credits the 7-foot-1, 220-pound five-star with 30 points and a whopping 25 boards, City of Basketball Love reporter Josh Verlin counted significantly fewer rebounds. Still, Verlin gave Lively plenty of love in summarizing his overall dominant performance on both ends of the floor:

“Lively is more than just a long-term buy; his ability to impact a game at the high school level is second to none…a 30-point, 14-rebound, six-steal, four-block outing from the future Duke Blue Devil…Lively was most impressive in the stretch of the second half when Westtown pulled away, with post-up buckets on three straight possessions…”

Another heavyweight Duke basketball recruiting class

Dereck Lively II is one of three McDonald’s All-Americans in Duke’s top-ranked 2022 recruiting haul. The other two are five-star small forwards Dariq Whitehead and Mark Mitchell; they rank No. 5 and 13, respectively.

Additionally, the Blue Devils will welcome another premier talent in five-star big man Kyle Filipowski (No. 3), who was ineligible for the McDonald’s All-American nod due to a technicality regarding his previous reclassification.

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Next season, those four five-stars will join at least two other promising 2022 prospects in Durham: four-star shooting guard Jaden Schutt (ranks No. 60) and three-star center Christian Reeves (No. 167).

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Dereck Lively II’s final prep campaign, plus other Duke basketball recruiting news and views.