At the annual recruiting fishtank of the Blue-White scrimmage Saturday night, the already recruit-rich Duke basketball program might have landed three more of the nation's top seniors.
The yearly hoopla-over-hoops event that last year played host to Mike Dunleavy and Kara Lawson, saw five recruits make their official visits to Duke, and three of them, it seems probable, will probably be making a few return trips.
T.J. Cummings, the lone men's team recruit on hand, and women's recruits Iciss Tillis and Alana Beard all were visibly impressed with the evenings ceremonies, saying Saturday night that Duke had moved up on their commitment lists.
Cummings, a slashing 6-foot-8 forward ranked 25th in the nation by FastBreak Recruiting Service, entered the visit with worries about finding a place with such a youth-laden squad.
But a weekend on campus erased those worries and put Duke one step closer in the sweepstakes for the Homstead, Ill., senior.
"[Duke] definitely moved up in my mind," Cummings said. "I really didn't think I'd find a place I could fit in because of all the players that are here, but after watching them practice and just being around the people, I feel like I could be a very good fit for this school."
Of course, that's once he found the gym.
"It looked like a castle," Cummings said of Cameron Indoor Stadium and its gothic facade. "I would never have guessed it [was Cameron], but that just shows how it has so much tradition. There's an aura about this school."
And tradition was the buzzword Cummings barked repeatedly over the hum of the stadium's near-capacity crowd. From the time he was greeted by the crowd with a chant of his name through the game's end, tradition was the one thing Cummings couldn't get past.
"When I came in the gym and everybody started chanting my name, that was really special," said Cummings, who reciprocated each chant with a smile and a wave to the crowd. "It just let you know really how much tradition they have at this school and how great it really can be. It was a nice touch."
Cummings has one remaining official visit, with Depaul, and is expected to sign during the early commitment period in November.
And if he doesn't sign with the Blue Devils, it won't be because they were ungracious hosts.
"I had a lot of fun, and I've had a good time," Cummings said. "But I also found out about the traditions at Duke and I feel really good about Duke. With Duke, you can't really explain it.It's just... Duke."
Much like Cummings, Tillis and Beard were impressed by coach Gail Goestenkors and the Duke program.
Tillis, who had previously ranked UCLA as her favorite school, said after the game that the Blue Devils were now her top choice. The visit to Durham was her final official visit and she said she planned to return home and discuss her plans with her parents before making a commitment during the November signing period.
"The visit at Duke has been great," said Tillis, ranked as the nation's top player in some recruiting reports and ranked sixth by the Blue Star Report. "I love everything about the place.... I feel a sense of placement here, kind of like I belong here. There's just something different."
And for Beard, who became friends with Tillis on their summer AAU team, the reaction was the same.
"This visit has been the best so far," said Beard, who listed Duke and Arkansas as her top two choices. "Coach G, the whole coaching staff, is truthful. There's no fronting. It's like, it's just down to us people. I love them; they're great."
Before her weekend trip to Duke, Beard visited Kentucky, Purdue and Arkansas, long rumored to be the frontrunner for the All Star Girl's Report No. 1 rated wing. Beard has a remaining official visit with Kansas and an unofficial visit to Louisiana Tech remaining.
But what impressed Beard the most is that Duke, unlike the other programs she visited, lived up to the billing.
"Everything they told us was true," she said. "We [the recruits] got what we came for. That's a rarity in college recruiting, it really is. Some people just won't talk about things or they just lie about it."
But if the Gothic Wonderland made any inroads with Nicole Powell or Anne O'Neil, the two were keeping it close to their chests.
Powell, the nation's fifth-ranked player according to Blue Star, enjoyed her visit but was far from sold.
"It was pretty similar to the rest of my visits," she said, referring to trips to Stanford and Notre Dame.
O'Neil, while impressed by the happenings in the gym she mistook for the shoot-around facility, was appreciative but lukewarm on her visit, saying only that Duke remained "near the top."
"Duke is still about the same for me," said the ever-smiling O'Neil, ranked No. 13 by Blue Star. "I definitely liked it. I don't see how you could come here and not like it."
If any of the four decide to commit they will join three recruits that have already given a verbal commitment-Rometra Craig, Vicki Krapohl and Crystal White.
The men's team has just one commitment for the upcoming season in Slidell, La., senior Chris Duhon.
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