Category Archives: Duke Basketball Recruiting News

PG Caleb Foster Picks Duke

Duke landed a key future commitment from five-star point guard prospect Caleb Foster today. Jon Scheyer is on fire on the recruiting trail where he is showing early on the Blue Devils will still seek the nation's most talented players.

Foster will be balling for Oak Hill this season and that is of course where Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith played. The Virginia native has been a Duke lean and he made it official.

The sure-fire talent stands 6-5 already and has great court vision. He played very well at the NBA Top 100 camp and is ranked in everyone's top 15 in 2023.

Duke fans are going to love Foster as much as they do the incredible start in recruiting from soon-to-be coach Jon Scheyer.

Dereck Lively II has Duke In-Home visit tomorrow

Dereck Lively II (Westown HS, PA) has been on the Duke radar since before people knew Jon Scheyer would take over the program and Mike Krzyzewski would retire. Standing in at a long 7-1, Lively soared up the rankings this past season and some feel is the best prospect in the nation.

Duke has plenty of competition with North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan involved, but it is thought that Lively thinks a lot of the Blue Devils and what they have to offer.

The Blue Devils will be fresh off a visit with combo guard JJ Starling who balls for Albany City Rocks on the EYBL circuit. In fact, this staff is very busy with not only next year's class but the one beyond where they intend to prove Duke Basketball Never Stops regardless of who is in charge.

Lively has long been at the top of the Blue Devils wish list where Duke hopes he will join Kyle Filipowski, Jaden Schutt, and the first prospect to verbally commit in Dariq Whitehead.

Duke will be showing off their presentation with Jon Scheyer, flanked by assistants Chris Carrawell, Nolan Smith, and possibly Amile Jefferson who is on staff and expected to be promoted in the off-season.

The reason for the staff's excitement with Lively is that he is talented now but has tremendous upside as a player. The Belfonte, Pennsylvania native loves playing in the post where he flourishes but he is expanding his game daily with added perimeter skills.

Many feel as I do that this could be another Duke-Kentucky battle. Oh to be a fly on the wall as Calipari will pitch Scheyer has not proven himself on the court yet. On the other side, the ever-confident Scheyer will be putting those worries to rest with a focused vision where he seems more than ready and young enough to master the new NIL situation. Just today, Paolo Banchero inked a lucrative deal and a prospect like Lively will be set up to follow in his footsteps.

The Blue Devils have other visits set which we discuss in the member's forum, but this one is important and will be in the limelight for a bit. I will tell you Mark Mitchell will also receive attention.

As for when we can expect Lively to make a decision those in the know claim the Fall is likely but in recruiting anything can change, so keep that in mind.

If you are looking for a prediction, I will say Duke is in this one but it may take a little time to close the deal. And I feel Kentucky is the chief competition but if his decision is delayed more teams could enter the situation especially post visits that he has lined up.

Honestly, the landscape can change a lot after visits but I expect Duke to still be on the shortlist once they're finished.

Dariq Whitehead Picks Duke!

The Duke Blue Devils gained their second commitment of the Jon Scheyer era when one of the nation's most coveted prospects in the nation in Dariq Whitehead chose to play his collegiate career in Durham, N.C.

The New Jersey-born Whitehead plays his high school basketball for Montverde Academy. He made his decision known today on his 17th birthday where he picked the Blue Devils over Kansas, Florida State and the NBA G-League which offered $500.000 for next season.

Whitehead joins recently committed Kyle Filipowski giving Duke a solid foundation on next year's class. That class needs to have multiple players come in, so Scheyer and staff will remain in the trenches throughout August.

Make no mistake about it, Jon Scheyer is having early success on the recruiting trail thanks to the coveted Whitehead's commitment and the work of what seems to be a hungty staff.

Quick Take - As for Whiteheads' play on the court, think potential first despite having elite athleticism and the ability to be a lockdown defender. He has good physicality and finishes thunderously around the rim when the opportunity is at hand. But the reason I mentioned potential is that he was sometimes overshadowed at Montverde where he played with a talented team of all stars. We are just beginning to see a finished product in Whitehead. He is good in open floor situations as is Filipowski, so we are seeing where Scheyer is going with his first class. Duke will focus on the rest of their shortlist on the recruiting trail while preparing for the coming season which will be Mike Krzyzewski's swan song season.

The newly committed Blue Devil --

There was a tell in the three hats pictured. The Duke one had no tag and appears to have been worn or already owned.
Scheyer scores his 2nd verbal in Dariq Whitehead

Kyle Filipowski Chooses Duke

After tearing it up on the EYBL circuit, Kyle Filipowski becomes the first new recruit who will play for Jon Scheyer when he takes over for Mike Krzyzewski in the 2022-23 season.

The New York Rens standout is great at ball movement and good handling despite his 6-11 frame. He is a solid, hard-working player who is a nice first get for Scheyer.

Filipowski chose Duke over Kentucky, Michigan and North Carolina.