He is one of the elite shooting guards in the high school class of 2001, he has a 3.8 GPA and he has been a Duke fan since his high school coach can remember, but Daniel Ewing's verbal commitment nearly wound up in Lawrence, Kan., instead of the sixth floor of the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center.
Only weeks before informing Mike Krzyzewski that he would become the first member of Duke's class of 2005, Ewing was rumored to be on the verge of accepting Roy Williams' offer to play for the Kansas Jayhawks. One of four legitimate stars on his state championship high school team, Ewing has been mentioned as one of the top three shooting guards in his class because of his on-court awareness, ferocious defensive skills and what All Star Report recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons called a "pure, textbook outside shot."
Yet the 6-foot-3 native of Sugarland, Texas spent much of his junior year and 2000 summer caught in the shadows of his own high school teammates, especially backcourt mate T.J. Ford.
When the Houston Superstars, Ewing and Ford's summer league team, were upset by a team from Colorado in mid-July, Krzyzewski and Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski were both in attendance. Ford shined with 20 points; Ewing managed just two during a dismal first half. With Krzyzewski's quest for a versatile backcourt player turning increasingly to Mt. Vernon, N.Y. native Ben Gordon, it looked to many like Ewing would have to play ball elsewhere.
But as July progressed, Gordon, who has since committed verbally to Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, slipped below Ewing on Duke's wish list. And so when the Blue Devils offered Ewing a scholarship for 2001, his response certainly didn't surprise anyone, except perhaps a smitten Williams.
"I knew that if he got the opportunity to go play there that he would decide to go to Duke," said Ronnie Courtney, Ewing's basketball coach at Willowridge High School.
Ewing's interest in Duke first became mutual when the coaching staff watched him play Memorial Day weekend at the annual Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Playing at the tournament for the second straight year, Ewing's late-May performance boosted his stock in much the same way freshman Chris Duhon impressed the Blue Devils at the tournament in 1999.
In early July, Ewing again awed his onlookers and began to separate himself from Ford's presence when he poured in 36 points during a tremendous two-game shooting effort at the highly touted ABCD Camp. So even after Krzyzewski and Wojciechowski saw Ewing struggle a week and a half later with the Superstars, his early-summer efforts were not forgotten.
Those who have seen the high school senior play say the Blue Devils won't be disappointed with their decision.
"He will be their Trajan Langdon-type player," Gibbons said. "He is a pure outside shooter. He may even be better than Chris Duhon, not necessarily as a player but as a more consistent outside shooter. He is a great addition for the Blue Devils."
According to his high school coach, consistent isn't even the word to describe the shooting touch that Ewing has developed.
"He has been working so hard this summer that he has taken his game to a whole new level," Courtney said. "He's at a point where he very seldom misses."
Ewing will join a backcourt that boasts Jason Williams, Chris Duhon and Dahntay Jones as expected veterans in 2001-02.
Gibbons noted that Ewing's addition could be a safety precaution in case Williams decides to enter the 2001 NBA draft following his sophomore season. If Williams were to leave, Duhon would likely take over for him as the Blue Devils' starting point guard, while Ewing would become the primary shooting guard.
For the time being, however, Williams has repeatedly stated his desire to stay all four years at Duke. So even if it still looms more than a year away, the prospect of seeing Ewing join Williams and Duhon in Duke's backcourt has even the most seasoned basketball junkies licking their chops.
"With a trio of Jason Williams, Chris Duhon and Daniel Ewing, the Blue Devils could have one of their strongest backcourts of all-time, maybe their best ever," Gibbons said.
But before that can happen, Ewing will realign with Ford and his other high school teammates as Willowridge attempts to defend its state championship and live up to its billing as the top high school basketball team in the nation.
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