Rasheed Sulaimon to Duke (Updated)

Nate James flanks Rasheed Sulaimon as they watch Duke warm up before their eventual win over North Carolina - BDN Photo, Mark Watson

The Duke Blue Devils were fresh off an electrifying victory over their arch rival North Carolina in a very loud Cameron Indoor Stadium when they scored another win by landing the services of Rasheed Sulaimon.

Sulaimon was on a visit to Duke with his family and they decided that the opportunity to play for one of the nations storied programs and Mike Krzyzweski was just too good to pass up.

After his visit to Countdown to Craziness, Sulaimon told BDN, "They are really great people, all of them from Coach K to the rest of the staff.  I felt they were really genuine people. Coach K is really a tremendous coach with all of his accomplishments; it was almost weird speaking with him face to face because he is so great."

Some consider Sulaimon to be a throwback player in that he possesses a good mid range game.  Sulaimon joins Alex Murphy to give Duke two the nations top prospects in the Class of 2012.

"I told him [Coach K ]I don’t mind playing the 1 or the 2, the point guard or shooting guard. I’m just a combo guard and I feel comfortable playing in both positions. He kind of said the same thing to me.  He said wherever they need me the most he’d play me since I’m comfortable playing both positions."

His family remained overnight at Duke and they came to a decision.  Sulaimon grew up a Duke fan and he can now play for his dream school.  He plays his high school basketball at Strake Jesuit College Prep in Houston, Texas.

Sulaimon is considered a high energy and versatile player and he has gradually climbed in the various player rankings.  He is listed at 6-3 but is closer to 6-4 and some think he'll end up 6-5.  He weighs in at around 188.

SCOUTING REPORT- Rasheed Sulaimon is a streaky, high effort  6'3" scoring guard from the Houston area. Although he wasn't initially the most heralded player on his Houston Hoops AAU team, he was their most consistent and best player over a challenging AAU season. Sulaimon was routinely both their leading scorer and took on the challenge of guarding the opposition's best perimeter player.

His handle was solid enough to give spot minutes at the point guard position, but, long-term, he projects more as a two with occasional minutes, depending upon match-ups, as combo or third guard for Duke. Although he's capable of scoring from all three levels, having a consistent perimeter shot to go along with his first step and basketball IQ would make him an even more dangerous scorer.

As with most players his age, he needs to add upper-body strength to play at a high-major, but, to an added degree, due to his tendency to drive heavily to the basket when his perimeter shot isn't falling early in a game. He has a reputation for being a great practice player and certainly benefits in games from his comparatively strong effort level. At this stage, for a program like Duke, he projects initially as a rotation player, who can deliver instant offense and be a competent perimeter defender off of the bench, with potential to start and be more of an integral player later in his career. -Andrew Slater, BDN Recruiting Analyst

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