BDN's team and recruiting updates have been a hit and the format is now being copied by others, but there is nothing like the original. We are currently running a special for first time members. A yearly membership can be had for $85.00, a 15.00 savings. Our 6 month and 3 month options have been reduced as well and we now offer a monthly rate. Okay, on to our latest update -
With the Duke Basketball team in China, recruiting has temporarily taken a backseat, but that doesn't mean the Blue Devils haven't been active. With concern to 2012, the picture is quite clear in that Duke has focused in on the players they covet. BDN Premium takes a look at those targets and gives you an idea of how their recruitment will proceed.
As I have stated before, Duke will ride the Shabazz Muhammad train until the very end. He visited UCLA recently and our belief is that it is now a [private]two team race between the favored Bruins and the Blue Devils. I am sure he'll mention Kentucky and UNLV as well once a decison is made. No timeline has been set but it wouldn't surprise us if he made a decision sooner rather than later. We are hoping for later for that favors Duke and their effort to get another visit. With a player of Muhammad's stature, you keep your name in the hat and hope for the best.
Stud big man Mitch McGary recently trimmed his list of schools and Duke made the cut. Duke feels like they've developed a good relationship with his parents and that is always a positive. This one will be quite a battle down the stretch but the Blue Devils are sure to get a visit before anything else happens. I think this one will go on for a bit.
I was disappointed in the knee jerk reaction that some Duke fans had with the recent Alex Poythress situation, but both parties have overcome any misunderstanding. Don't get me started on fan interactions on Twitter ... Poythress is down to Duke and Vanderbilt in my opinion and a visit is in the works when the Blue Devils return. If a team sneaks in, it'll be Kentucky where he is visiting this weekend. Poythress is thrilled by the offer and I think we have a very good shot at landing him. There is some ground to be made up but Duke is quite a name and playing for Coach K is an honor,
In regards to Perry Ellis, well, Duke never offered him but he continued to list them. Duke was okay with that and he was a fall back option but he probably wondered where the interest was and dropped Duke. Ellis never played well in front of Krzyzewski and I think they feel Poythress is more athletic. They think a lot of Ellis but Duke is going to take their chances with the big four in 2012.
That brings us to Tony Parker. Who knows what Tony will do. I don't think he knows what he will do. His parents want Duke and he wants Memphis and he seemingly may have fallen for all the anti Duke rhetoric. At the same time, it would be ill advised for Duke to jump ship and the aforementioned knee jerk reactions by fans would work against efforts. Duke will see if Tony comes around and there is a chance. You have to remember, Duke has been on his list from the very start and they have been mentioned in his top three with Ohio State and the Tigers.
In an ideal world, Duke would likely settle on McGary and Shabazz and wrap it up. But they will take any combination of the guys I have listed and all of the players I have mentioned want to visit Duke. The Blue Devils will set their strategy for visits upon their return form China and Dubai.
The offer to Bronson Koenig caught many off guard. The bottom line is that Coach K liked him and thinks he is a winner and a combo guard. Yeah, I know his team didn't win a game when Andrew watched, but who can argue with Coach? I mean look how Rasheed Sulaimon and Michael Gbinije blew up after Duke got their verbal. Wisconsin leads for Koenig but Duke is working on a visit and feel they can make up ground.
How will the offer to Koenig effect Matt Jones? Duke sees Jones as wing-three point specialist. It helps that he can drive the ball but he still needs work on getting his shot off in traffic. Duke is losing Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry, so these two shooters firepower would be welcomed in 2013. Jones will visit Countdown to Craziness and Duke expects the list to grow as the event nears.
Duke will stick with Jabari Parker in a big way and I still think they have a fantastic shot of landing this all around phenom. The Blue Devils will look to Julius Randle as well but depending on who they end up with in 2012 could change this. We mentioned a lot of other guys in our last update and very little has changed. I can tell you that a lot of 2013 kids impressed the staff during the open period.
When the team hits the court in China, all the guys will get some serious minutes. The hope is that the cream will rise to the top. Duke will also name their captains after the trip and my thinking is that it will come from Curry, Kelly and a Plumlee. For the record, Curry is more vocal and outgoing in interviews and he talking more on the court as well. BDN will talk with some of the players via Skype [phone], so we'll have those updates coming. Members can discuss this update on our premium message board. Remember, registration is separate for the board. Once you have registered and we confirm your payment you'll be approved.[/private]