Duke basketball 5-star target deemed 'the best point guard in the country' after stellar performance

The Duke basketball program currently sits with the No. 5 overall 2026 recruiting class according to 247Sports, but Jon Scheyer and his staff aren't done yet. The Blue Devils are in hot pursuit of two elite 5-star guards, and one of those top recruits just received some major praise following a stellar outing. 5-star Deron Rippey Jr., one of the Blue Devils' top remaining 2026 targets, just led the way for Blair Academy (NJ) in a statement victory over The Newman School (MA). Rippey has had one of the busiest fall seasons in terms of official visits of any top 2026 recruit, but an ultimate commitment is expected to be made in the coming weeks.

Duke has landed two 5-star commitments so far in forwards Cameron Williams and Bryson Howard. The program has also inked a pledge from Canadian seven-footer Maxime Meyer. With no backcourt pieces as part of the team's current 2026 recruiting class, Scheyer is eagerly looking to bring one or both to Durham.

5-star Duke basketball target Deron Rippey Jr. called "the best point guard in the country" after monster performance.

In the victory for Blair over The Newman School, Rippey was the star of the show, going for 28 points on six made threes. Following the contest, 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein had some high praise for the star talent.

"The star today was Deron Rippey," Finkelstein said. "I've said it multiple times now...I thought he was the best point guard in the country this fall, and he backed it up here today."

Rippey took eight official visits from late August to early November before cutting his list from 10 to five. The 6'2, 175-pound guard is the No. 12 overall player, No. 1 point guard, and No. 1 player out of the state of New Jersey according to the247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings.

The schools still in contention for Rippey's services are Duke, NC State, Tennessee, Miami, and Texas.

Scheyer took an in-home visit with Rippey in early September, and he took his official visit to Duke from October 21st to the 23rd. He was also in attendance at Madison Square Garden for the Blue Devils' Champions Classic victory over Kansas.

As Rippey's commitment is expected to be made sooner rather than later, Scheyer and Co. are in hot pursuit of landing the stellar guard. Duke is also viewed as the leader for fellow 5-star 2026 guard Jordan Smith Jr.