It is no secret that RJ Barrett has confidence and is an alpha dog on the court. Barrett told ESPN he does not care where he is draft but just wants to enjoy the experience. The brash scorer also said he thinks he is the best player in the draft.
Category Archives: Duke Basketball
NBA Top Pick on the Line for Zion Williamson
The NBA Draft Lottery takes place at 8:30 tonight in Chicago and one team is going to win the Zion Williamson sweepstakes. It's been a long time since there has been a clear number one pick, but Williamson is considered a sure bet on and off the court.
If you think you know who might get Williamson, think again. The NBA changed its lottery odds format allowing several teams to have a legitimate shot at the top pick. That rule change came via tanking but it was clear some teams still took that route for a high pick
With the odds reduction in place, here are the odds for the lottery -
| New York | 14.0% |
| Cleveland | 14.0% |
| Phoenix | 14.0% |
| Chicago | 12.5% |
| Atlanta | 10.5% |
| Washington | 9.0% |
| New Orleans | 6.0% |
| Memphis* | 6.0% |
| Dallas** | 6.0% |
| Minnesota | 3.0% |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 2.0% |
| Charlotte | 1.0% |
| Miami | 1.0% |
| Sacramento^ | 1.0% |
| * = This pick may be conveyed to Boston ** = This pick may be conveyed to Atlanta ^ = This pick will be conveyed to Boston via Philadelphia or to Philadelphia |
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Duke Adds Three to Hoops Class
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski announced the addition of three student-athletes to the Blue Devils’ incoming class, as the program closes in on the nation’s No. 1-ranked class.
Vernon Carey Jr., Matthew Hurt and Cassius Stanley will enter the Duke program for the 2019-20 season, and join Wendell Moore and Rejean “Boogie” Ellis, who were signed during the early signing period in November.
With the addition of Carey, Hurt and Stanley, the Blue Devils jumped to No. 1 in ESPN’s 2019 class rankings. Should Duke finish at No. 1, it would mark the third consecutive season, and fifth time in the last six years, that Coach K landed ESPN’s top-ranked class.
Vernon Carey Jr. – 6-10 – 275 – Center – Southwest Ranches, Fla. – University School
- Five-star center
- Ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the ESPN 100 and the No. 3 center
- Top-ranked player in Florida
- Two-time USA Basketball gold medalist for the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup.
- Averaged 21.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game his senior year at the University School
- 2019 McDonald’s All-American and played in the Jordan Brand Classic
- 2018 MaxPreps Player of the Year as a junior
- As a junior in 2017-18, averaged 26.1 points and 10.4 rebounds to help his high school team to a 36-2 record, a 5A state title, the City of Palms Classic title and the final game of the GEICO High School Nationals.
- Chose Duke over ACC North Carolina, Miami, Michigan State and Kentucky
Matthew Hurt – 6-8 – 214 – Forward – Rochester, Minn. – John Marshall High School
- Five-star recruit
- Ranked No. 10 overall in the ESPN 100 and the No. 2 power forward
- Top-ranked player in Minnesota
- 2019 McDonald’s All-American
- Averaged 37.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game as a senior
- Earned Associated Press Player of the Year for the state of Minnesota
- Finished with 3,550 career points and 1,451 career rebounds at John Marshall
- Continues a recent trend of Duke players from the state of Minnesota with brothers Tyus and Tre Jones (Apple Valley) and Gary Trent Jr., who played at Apple Valley HS before transferring to Prolific Prep in California
- Chose Duke over North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas
Cassius Stanley – 6-5 – 185 – Guard – Los Angeles, Calif. – Sierra Canyon High School
- Four-star recruit
- Ranked No. 29 overall in the ESPN 100 and the No. 6 shooting guard
- Averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for Nike’s 17U EBYL team this past season
- Played in the Jordan Brand Classic
- Led Sierra Canyon to the California Open Division Championship his senior year, scoring 20 points and recording seven rebounds in the championship contest
- Recorded a team-best 17.7 points, grabbed 6.9 rebounds and registered 2.9 assists per game his senior year
- Named 2019 Daily News Player of the Year and CIF Open Division Player of the Year, which is considered the highest level of high school basketball in the state of California
- Second Duke player in three seasons from Sierra Canyon High, joining 2018 consensus first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year Marvin Bagley III
- Chose Duke over Kansas, Oregon and UCLA
Duke Staff Continues its Visits
The Blue Devils are busy building for the future and they have been making the rounds on the recruiting trail.
Mike Krzyzewski and company stopped by to see Patrick Baldwin Jr in Wisconsin yesterday. He is pictured.
The Blue Devils basketball staff dropped in on CamRon Fletcher while in St. Louis which is the home of Jayson Tatum and Duke assistant coach, Chris Carrawell.
Huge thanks to @DukeMBB for stopping by today #BrotherHood 😈💙 pic.twitter.com/zdABaGTHLk
— 21 (@CamRonFletcher1) April 23, 2019
Duke dropped in on Caleb Love. You have to admire his inclusion of #TheBrotherhood.
sending a big thanks to @DukeMBB coaching staff for coming by today! #TheBrotherhood💙 pic.twitter.com/r40l2Meui0
— Caleb Love (@caleb2love) April 23, 2019
The staff has been busy during the open visit period their evaluation of current targets and more prospects begins this weekend as the Nike EYBL season kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more on the recruiting front, join Blue Devil Nation during our one-year special.
Duke Goes In Home with Jalen Johnson
Hot off securing a commitment with 2019 SG Cassius Stanley the Duke Men's Basketball staff went in-home with big-time prospect Jalen Johnson.
Johnson has long been on the Blue Devils early wish list for the 2020-21 recruiting season.
The Wisconsin native stands 6-8 plays for Nicolet High School in Glendale. He has a long list of offers and suitors but Duke has made him a priority for some time now.
For more on the Duke recruiting beat, join Blue Devil Nation Premium.
Huge thanks to the @DukeMBB staff for coming to visit my family and I tonight 🤞🏽 #TheBrotherhood💙 pic.twitter.com/64kgU9DzIj
— Jalen Johnson (@Jalen_J23) April 23, 2019
Cassius Stanley Joins the Duke Brotherhood (Updated)
The Duke Blue Devils solidify their 2019-20 recruiting class with highly ranked shooting guard Cassius Stanley giving the program the nations top-rated class.
Stanley chose Duke over Kansas, Oregon and UCLA.
His announcement came at his Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California.
The newest Blue Devil averaged 17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 2018-19 for a star-studded team.
Stanley joins fellow Californian, Boogie Ellis, Matthew Hurt, Vernon Carey Jr., and Wendell Moore Jr.
An elite athlete, Stanley hopes to be an immediate factor early at Duke, where three starters are NBA bound.
Standing at 6-5 with solid length and he is aggressive on the offensive end driving the ball downcourt while also being a willing defender.
Stanley is a little older than some freshman so that has allowed him to develop physically as well. He will look to gain a more consistent outside shot at Duke while getting stronger.
His high school is 22 miles from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so there is little chance Stanley will be star-struck at Duke.
Several former NBA players send their kids to Sierra Canyon including Scottie Pippen, Duane "Pearl" Washington, Kenyon Martin to name a few.
His high school alum list includes kids from Berry Gordy. Sean Combs, Kevin Hart, the Jenner's and Jamie Fox to name a few. Elite level kids attend the school system near Los Angeles from kindergarten through high school.
Another recent Duke product from Sierra Valley was none other than Marvin Bagley III.
So, Stanley is more than a little accustomed to stars being around, so that should help him fit in with a program full of them and the stands always having somebody famous nearby.
His Dad, Jerome, was a successful sports agent who broke down some barriers along the way, He represented the likes of Baron Davis and Keyshaun Johnson.
Stanley once worked out with Oklahoma City standout Paul George.
It will be fin for Duke fans to watch the athletic Stanley add polish to his game while in Durham. There is no reason he should not push for immediate playing time if he puts in the work.
Stanley added Duke to his list in early August and visited the school the weekend after that news came out. It was obviously a good visit.
Duke assistant coaches Nate James and Chris Carrawell took lead roles in the recruiting process recognizing the talent Stanley possessed.
“It was a lot of pressure,” said Stanley after his decision. “Initially I had three schools, UCLA, Kansas and Oregon. Coach Alford got fired and around the same time Duke slid in. I was skeptical at first because I wanted to stay loyal to the programs that were recruiting me earlier, but I felt Duke had the best to offer.”
The Blue Devils wanted to add a shooting guard to this class and more backcourt help, so the addition of Stanley afford them backcourt depth.
Cassius Stanley commits to DUKE 😈 @cassius_stanley @DukeMBB pic.twitter.com/uBdkoxqrnE
— Overtime (@overtime) April 22, 2019
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