The final piece of the menPis basketball recruiting puzzle fell into place Saturday, when Alaskan high school star Carlos Boozer announced he will attend Duke.
With Boozer on board, coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff have once again assembled a premier recruiting class, perhaps the nationPis best.
The most heralded player to come out of the 49th state since Duke senior Trajan Langdon, Boozer is rated among the top five prospects in the country by most recruiting analysts. He made his choice official at a press conference in Detroit, where he scored 16 points in Magic JohnsonPis Roundball Classic.
The decision was a lot harder for me than I anticipated,<= the 17-year-old Boozer said. But I felt that the best situation for me was at Duke. I met a lot of great coaches in a lot of great situations, but I felt that the best one for me was at Duke with Mike Krzyzewski.<=
Boozer is the fourth McDonaldPis All-American to commit to the Blue Devils this year, joining center Casey Sanders (Tampa, Fla.), guard Michael Dunleavy Jr. (Portland, Ore.) and McDonaldPis Player of the Year Jason Williams (Metuchen, N.J.).
Forward Nick Horvath of St. Paul, Minn., is the fifth and final member of a recruiting class that rivals the famous group of two years ago.
ItPis a great place education-wise, the campus is beautiful, and they have one of the best coaches in the nation, maybe the best ever,<= said Boozer, who chose Duke over St. JohnPis and UCLA.
The 6-foot-9 forward, who was rumored to favor Duke since early January, insisted that he made up his mind only a few days ago. BoozerPis high school coach George Houston privately preferred Duke all along, but he left the decision up to the Boozer family.
Boozer also noted that Elton BrandPis impending decision to stay at Duke or declare for the NBA draft had no impact on his college choice.
ItPis just a feeling, nothing more,<= he said.
The 245-pound Boozer combines strength and finesse, using his large frame to score with ease. He averaged over 30 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior at Juneau Douglas High School.
With BoozerPis help, Douglas won a pair of state championships but fell short in its attempt to three-peat this year, losing to Anchorage EastaLangdonPis alma materain the state semifinals.
Boozer has excelled in postseason all-star play, scoring 22 points in the McDonaldPis game to go with his 16 in the Roundball Classic. His commitment is a nice get-well present for Krzyzewski, who underwent hip-replacement surgery yesterday. Boozer called Krzyzewski Friday night to inform him of the decision.
His other awards this season include: Alaska Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year, and PARADE All-American.
Robert A. Dunn contributed to this story.
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