Duke Close to Shaking Up High School Recruiting World
Words. Jason Jordan
News broke early this weekend that St. Patrick’s (N.J.) point guard Kyrie Irving eliminated Indiana from the list of schools he’s considering.
That’s a major development since Irving, the No. 6 prospect in the HighSchoolHoop top 50, told us two weeks ago that Indiana and Duke were the two schools that stood out the most.
Conventional wisdom says that with the Hoosiers out of the picture the Blue Devils are shoe-ins to land Irving.
A reliable source confirmed to us that, despite Kentucky making up ground recently, not only is Irving a lock to Duke, but there’s also a good chance that he’ll commit either during his official visit to Durham this weekend or shortly after.
To be fair, Irving’s official visit lineup reads like this: Oct. 9 – Texas A&M, Oct. 16 – Kentucky and Oct. 23 Georgia Tech.
But the good news doesn’t stop there for Krzyzewski and Co., as Winter Park High (Fla.) point guard Austin Rivers, a junior who committed to Florida last year, visited Duke unofficially this past weekend. Up until now Rivers, the No. 5 prospect in the HSH top 50, has maintained that he’s remaining firm in his commitment to Florida, but c’mon, let’s use a little common sense for a second.
On the most basic level, no one who is that firmly committed to another school foots the bill for a weekend trip to North Carolina if there isn’t a realistic chance that he could de-commit. We spoke with Florida guard Kenny Boynton, who is not the aforementioned source, last week and asked him about Rivers’ shaky status in Gainesville.
Boynton was “surprised” to hear that Rivers actions pointed toward wavering.
“Wow that’s crazy,” said Boynton. “He’s going down to Duke? Really? No one told me. Yeah that’s definitely interesting.”
Tonight when we caught up with Rivers he was still raving about his visit and shed some light on how it will affect his next move.
HighSchoolHoop: So you visited Duke this weekend with your mom and little brother?
Austin Rivers: Yes.
HSH: What about dad (Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers)?
AR: He couldn’t make it.
HSH: Do he and Krzyzewski know each other personally?
AR: Yeah, they’re pretty good friends.
HSH: So talk to me about the visit.
AR: Well, I got there at 1 p.m. on Friday and we went right into the tour of the campus. It was real crazy! I mean I had expectations of what it would be like, but this was crazy. I knew it would be nice. They have brand new facilities, but what I didn’t know is that they have these underground passages for basketball players that connect the gyms together. The campus is beautiful. It definitely exceeded my expectations and they were pretty high.
HSH: Underground passageways… What is this 007?
AR: (Laughs) Yeah it’s crazy!
HSH: Obviously, you got a chance to talk with Krzyzewski and his staff, what kinds of things did they say?
AR: They were mainly talking about what they would have me doing if I came there, and that they would love for me to come there, but they didn’t want to continue to recruit me because they have so much respect for Coach (Billy) Donovan at Florida. They said I would have to de-commit or say it’s OK.
HSH: Did they talk about who you could potentially be playing with if you were to come there?
AR: Yeah, well hopefully Kyrie. I actually talked to him (Irving) today and he said that he likes Duke and he’s gonna go there and see how he likes it. Hopefully, I’ll be playing with him if he commits there and if I commit there. If you go to Duke you know you’re gonna be playing with another All-American and I think that’s great. They just told me that this was the top of the line and that they knew I could achieve greatness there.
HSH: The popular rumor is that Duke is in good shape for both Kyrie and Harrison Barnes. Did you get the impression that the staff was confident about landing them?
AR: Yeah, yeah I think that they feel really good about Kyrie, and I know that Kyrie is really good with them. Obviously, you never know, but I know they feel good about that. With Harrison, I think they feel good about him too, but I’d bet there are a couple of schools that feel good about their chances with him. You just never know, but yeah I think they feel good about them both.
HSH: What did you and Kyrie talk about?
AR: We’re friends from the circuit and we were talking about Duke because I heard he was going to be visiting them. He said he likes Duke a lot. Then we started talking about playing together there. We were both like, “Oh man! We would be REAL good together!” So we just ended the conversation talking about that.
HSH: You’re both scoring point guards, so who would run the point?
AR: Well, he would probably be more of the point guard and I would be more of the shooting guard. With that said, if I got the rebound I would just go. That’s one thing I liked that coach K said, he doesn’t like labels. We’re both playmakers and we can both score. It would be real crazy.
HSH: You’ve maintained throughout that you were really firm in your commitment to Florida, but that was before this past weekend. Obvious question is: Are you as firm now?
AR: Umm, I still love Florida, but the thing is after I went to Duke it opened my eyes to see that there are other schools out there. I’m probably gonna take the next couple of days to talk with my family about what my next move will be.
HSH: To be honest, it seems rather obvious what the next move will be…
AR: Well, to tell you the truth those are the only two schools that I’ve visited and right now I’m loving them kind of the same. I’ve got strong points with both of them. With Duke you’ve got the tradition, the history, you play on TV every game and it’s Duke basketball who wouldn’t want to play there. Then you’ve got strong points with Florida, it’s near home, the weather’s great, my sister went there, I know a lot of people there… I’m really liking them both the same.
HSH: But that’s different than before.
AR: Right, right. Before it was all Florida. I never thought I would fall for another college, but I did.
HSH: Have you talked to the Florida coaches since you’ve been back?
AR: No, but I talked to them before I left.
HSH: That’s got to be rough on them. What did they say?
AR: Coach Donovan’s my boy and he’s as nice as it gets. They basically said to go ahead and look at Duke and have a good time, hopefully not too good of a time. They just really respect me and my dad’s decisions so they don’t really get into it about that.
HSH: Is it safe to assume that if you were to open things back up Duke is the school you would go to?
AR: Well, if I do de-commit it would be because of Duke, yes.
HSH: Do you understand why the casual observer would bank on you opening things back up?
AR: Yeah, yeah… I understand, but it’s just a tough thing to decide. My coach is supposed to come over tonight and me and my dad are gonna talk with him about what I’m gonna do next.
Got a burning question for Jason? Email him: JasonJ@DimeMag.com
WOW… I mean WOW… Duke is back. Which sucks for me as a State fan, but DANG you’ve got to admire something like this.
As much as I am a Duke hater, they are poised to grab a number of very high 2010 recruits and Rivers if he decommits to Florida.
THINGS ARE LOOKNG UP!! Well that is unless you are a “Whine and Cheeser!”
That sounds like good news for duke. I think it’s safe to say that after a couple years of weak recruiting Coach K has is back to his old ways. These next couple classes are shaping up to be very strong.
LETS FACE IT. AS A WOLFPACK FAN, I HAVE TO ADMIT. IF I WERE A GREAT PLAYER, I WOULD NOT HESITATE TO GO TO DUKE. THAT PLACE IS MAGICAL AND ITS LED BY A GROUP WHO REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. BUT I ALSO HAVE TO ADMIT, FOR YEARS OF HATING DEAN SMITH I.E. FOUR CORNERS, RICH YONAKER, ETC… COACH K ACTUALLY MADE IT EASY TO PULL FOR “OTHER” ACC TEAMS BECAUSE HE KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE HIS KIDS TO ANOTHER LEVEL. I STILL BLEED RED THOUGH AND HOPE COACH LOWE CAN WORK SOME MORE MAGIC LIKE WE SAW IN ‘83.
Don… as a UNC fan I am hopeful that Duke can get back on track. It is more fun when both schools are competitive. I am very happy with who UNC has… they are packed full with talent. As for State… well maybe in the future they can get it together. I am a coach and I work closely with some great talent. It isn’t as much that K stop recruiting the best players. It is the on-going belief that coach K’s system hampers player’s pro development. They claim that his system is so restrictive that players never develop any individual talent.
Dre, You may be right to a certain degree. However, we state fans have really seen the big struggle for many years and I think it is safe to say that NCSU has played a more open game. That within itself proves my whole point. I think given equal talent among the 3 schools in any given year, Coach K and Duke will win and win big. Some years even with lesser talent than say UNC he has won and won big. I just think Duke has something special that us and even UNC does not have. And I really believe that if Kyrie and Harrison Barnes come to Duke and possible just with 1 of these special players, Coach K will once again be on top of the college basketbaLL world and our team could not make that prediction.
Its interesting that you say that perception is that Coach K’s system hampers pro devleopment when Duke has more players in the pros than any other school out there. I think with that being the case the one set of people that don’t agree with you are NBA GMs. And being that your a UNC fan wouldn’t you have to admit that is nothing more than a biased perception? I mean really whose perception really weighs in more? NBA GMs or UNC Fans when it comes to Duke. Maybe you also noticed that a Duke player was choosen higher than any UNC player last year as well. Maybe a fact check would clear your perception.
Ien you might want to check your facts - UNC and Duke currently have the same number of players in the NBA.
len pump ya breaks! U dookies do nothing in the pro’s, we’ve had the last two ACC player of the year in ty and tyler.
WE put three in the first rd, thats to duke’s one, u do the math!!
Dont get it twisted, duke is setting up real well with these recruits, but U.N.C., The University of National Championships r just that, the CHAMPS!!!
That duke has more players in thr pros is a crock, period! NBA GM’s 4 the most part have had nothing to do with duke players in our recent history!
I’m glad jj finally got some run, the kid had a solid season, thats why they traded Mr. C. Lee.
But the daniel ewings, josh mcroberts, sheldon williams(the most note worthy thing he’s done was marry Candace Parker and get her pregnant) r yall most recent success stories!!
This is why UNC shows no class. Guys like this. And the top, elite kids are not going to be around this type of behavior. Ive always said the real classy student/athletes go to Duke while unc stockpiles the best talent they can muster, irregardless of the work ethic in the classroom. And if this last classless guy wants to help his team, instead of make baseless, false comments with terrible grammar, etc… then he would be wise to keep[ his mouth shut.
How funny that you commented negatively on the grammer that was used by Don Wilkens. I laughed so hard it took me awhile to tell you why. Your use of the word “irregardless”. Good English says irregardless is a double negative and says absolutely nothing more the word “regardless.” Think about it and be careful when correcting English.
[...] 1. Austin Rivers loves Duke [...]
I am not sure what argument UNC fans have about the track record of recent NBA players and their success in the league. Really since the late 90’s…I can’t think of any UNC players that are ripping the league. Mccants, May, Marvin Williams…yeah they are setting the league on fire!!! Ray Felton is probably the best UNC player to be drafted since the days of Antwan and Vince.
I understand that in the best this has been a one sided conversation…but not in the last decade. It is no longer assumed that UNC players come in the league and do their thing. Check the NBA stats over on each player drafted in the last 10 years from the 2 schools. It is not even close.
* meant to say that in the PAST this has been a one sided conversation…
Recruits in today’s game need to make up their mind before they start committing. I am neutral to both teams but I think it is some BS with all these guys committing then decommitting, Josh Selby, Scotty Hopson. I can understand if a coach leaves but make up your damn mind before you commit to a school. Cant do that crap in the real world…commit to something and not go through with it. If he decommits I feel for Florida fans everywhere, and that’s coming from a UK fan…
What is it with these recruits?! dook sucks! Their campus is a joke. Everyone heads over to Franklin St in Chapel Hill to have fun and their brand of foul and flop basketball is garbage.
please shoot yourself in the head
From Don Wilkins “Ive always said the real classy student/athletes go to Duke while unc stockpiles the best talent they can muster, irregardless of the work ethic in the classroom”
Real classy student athletes go to dook? HA! Said like a delusional dookie. How classy is Christian “Stomp on your chest” Laettner, or Gerald “I’ll break your nose” Henderthug??? Yeah, real classy players got to dook.
Dook players are typically a bunch of overrated, overhyped, underachievers on an individual level.
Don Wilkins:
Seriously, don’t knock other folks’ grammar and then use the word “irregardless.” It’s funny that a dook fan would bring up class, particularly with Gerald Henderson’s infamous elbow, Dahntay Jones thuggish antics, Matt Christiansen’s….never mind, there’s not point.
Instead, let’s take the NBA point. Heck, let’s assume that in the last 10 years or so, dook has put more players in the NBA, or, better players in the NBA. Okay, let’s assume that is true. Then explain to me this, why does UNC have more National Championships over the last decade? Why does UNC have more Final Fours over the last decade? Why does UNC have more Elite Eights over the last decade?
Hmmmm…maybe the difference is that Roy gets more from his recruits while in college than K. Nah, that makes too much sense.
Because of the “Great White Hype”, Tyler Hanssis. She brings her own referees to each game; it’s hard for teams to play when there’s eight players on the floor (three in black and white striped UNC jerseys). But, you wouldn’t know anything about that being that you are another UNC fag (oops! I guess I mean fan).
It is important to put Duke and Unc NBA pick arguement in context to understand what schools’ players get drafted most often.
If we look at the players that came from Hs class between 1997-2004 Dook has had more players drafted. Keep in mind that is when Dean Smith retired and Coach Williams took the helm. Since Coach Williams began at Unc the Tar Heels have clearly produced more NBA talent than the Blue Devils. And obviously, overall no school can touch the Tar Heels in terms of quality and quanity in the NBA.
It is important to put the “Duke and Unc NBA draft pick” arguement in context to understand what schools’ players actually get selected most often.
If we look at the players that came from Hs classes between 1997-2004 Dook has had more players drafted. Keep in mind that is when Dean Smith retired and just before Coach Williams took the helm. Since Coach Williams began at Unc the Tar Heels have clearly produced more NBA talent than the Blue Devils. And obviously, overall no school can touch the Tar Heels in terms of quality and quanity in the NBA.
I agree that since Dean Smith had left UNC has had a stronger run and have done so with more talent. If we look over prior decades…of course UNC has had great success with Jordan, Perkins, Worthy, Daugherty, Carter, Jamison, etc.
However, over the last decade the Tar Heels have been lackluster in this dept. Roy Williams has produced great college players and average at best NBA players. This has always been the knock on Duke. Ray Felton has probably had the best production of any of the recent UNC players and he is a mediocre NBA pg right now. He got drafted over by DJ Augustine bt Larry Brown and MJ (both UNC alums). DJ also went on to have a better year. Hell, his stats were not much better than often criticized Chris Duhon last season. Check their stats. Many recent UNC draftees have done nada in the NBA. Mccants, May, Brandon Wright, etc.
[...] If Duke is close to shaking up the high school recruiting world, then UCLA is right there with them. This weekend, the Bruins are hosting three of the top players in the Class of 2010 with a loaded pool of talent hitting their campus: Josh Smith (Kentwood High School in Washington), Ray McCallum (Detroit Country Day in Michigan) and Trey Zeigler (Mt. Pleasant High School in Michigan). [...]
To all the UNC classless comments I say the following: I am not a Duke graduate but rather an NCSU graduate. I am also old enough to remember first hand that over the years Coach K has not only outclassed but outwon both Dean Smith and Roy Williams.(i.e. total wins, individual championships each, NCAA championships each). Because of embarassment and politics, they had to stop publishing the ACC SAT scores around 2000 because of the big discrepency in the schools….Duke was so much higher than the other ACC schools. Coach K has had to recruit a higher student athletic type than say unc over the years because of the difference not just in a public univ. versus private but moreover in the standards difference between those two schools. THIS IS FACT AND UNDISPUTABLE. And if you really want to get into personal attacks on the kids which is what classless is all about, than go ahead unc….that is fact and undisputable as well as the merits simply present themselves. Spinning them otherwise just further enhances the proof. GO DUKE!!
I found it interesting that someone would complain about Don Wilkens grammar in his comments on basketball players. The person who commented on Wilkens poor grammar used the word “irregardless”. That, Sir, is considered poor English in that it is a double negative when “regardless” says what he tried to say when he himself used “poor grammar”. Check it out.
Krzyzewski, I thought your ethics were better than this. If you really meant what you said about respecting Donovan, then you insist on a decomit or an okay from Donovan upfront. BEFORE you give Austin a tour of the campus and the new basketball facilities. BEFORE you explain what you would have Austin doing if he joined the team. BEFORE you tell Austin that you would love to have him in your program. BEFORE you sell Austin on Duke being “the top of the line.” And BEFORE you discuss the other recruits he might be playing with if he commits.
Because that, Coach, is the very definition of recruiting.
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t recruit the guy and then say you respect Donovan too much to recruit him further. That’s political double-speak. And it stinks.
Apologize for your lapse in judgment and bow out.