No. 2 2018 recruit Zion Williamson commits to Duke men's basketball

Zion Williamson joins R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish to give Duke the top three players in the Class of 2018.
Zion Williamson joins R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish to give Duke the top three players in the Class of 2018.

Duke has had elite recruiting classes for the last several years, but a shocking announcement Saturday night may make its Class of 2018 its best ever.

No. 2 recruit Zion Williamson committed to Duke Saturday night on SportsCenter, giving the Blue Devils the top three recruits in next year's class along with R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish. The Spartanburg, S.C., native was widely expected to stay close to home and pick Clemson or look elsewhere to Kentucky or North Carolina, but instead announced that he will join the "brotherhood" on stage at his high school. The Crystal Ball on 247sports gave Duke just a 4 percent chance to land him.

"Duke stood out because the brotherhood represents a family, and Coach K is the most legendary coach that ever coached college basketball," Williamson said on SportsCenter after his announcement. "I feel like going to Duke University, I can learn a lot from him."

Williamson has become a viral sensation during his career at Spartanburg Day School with more than a million Instagram followers thanks to his athleticism highlight-reel dunks. The 6-foot-6 forward has led his team to two straight state championships. He has been out since November this year with a bruised foot, but averaged 37 points and 13 rebounds per game last season as a junior.

Williamson is the fourth five-star recruit in Duke's 2018 class, along with the two other top-three prospects and point guard Tre Jones.

"[Coach K] came to us and said we all could come together. All three of us bring our own talents and our own uniqueness to the table, and I feel like all of us together—also with the point guard of Tre Jones—I feel like we can all do something special at Duke University," Williamson said.






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