Coach Mike Krzyzewski may have won one of the biggest recruiting coups in the history of the state of North Carolina Monday, landing blue chip recruit Shavlik Randolph of Raleigh.
Several media outlets--including Kurt O'Neill's Elitehooprecruits.com--reported Monday night that Randolph will announce his commitment to Duke over North Carolina, N.C. State, Kansas and Florida, at a 4 p.m. conference Wednesday at Broughton, his high school in Raleigh.
"I knew for sure this morning," O'Neill said. "The decision had been made and I think he basically called other schools to tell them. I officially heard this morning. I think it's been done for a while, but I think they decided over the weekend to get it over with."
While Randolph could not be reached for comment, his father, Kenny Randolph would neither confirm nor deny the decision, saying, "certain people had to be called [before the announcement could be made]."
However, he added that "everyone can make an intelligent guess and that would certainly be an intelligent guess."
Randolph will join Sean Dockery, a guard from Chicago, Lee Melchionni, a forward from Lancaster, Pa., J.J. Redick, a guard from Roanoke, Va., Michael Thompson, a center from Chicago and Shelden Williams, a forward from Midwest City, Okla. in the class of 2006-a class that many recruiters consider
"I've always thought [Randolph] would go to Duke," Redick said. "Not from what's he told me, that's just my gut feeling."
Randolph, who averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds for Broughton last season, is also the first major in-state player in the Krzyzewski era.
"The rule is that usually Duke gets the out-of-state great players and [North] Carolina gets the in-state ones," O'Neill said. "For years, everyone was a North Carolina fan. But Duke has been such a dominating force in the last 10 years that there are just as many kids growing up in Oklahoma that are Duke fans as there are kids growing up in North Carolina that are Duke fans."
The decision to choose Duke over other college basketball powers on Tobacco Road was even more difficult for Randolph. His grandfather, Ronnie Shavlik, was an All-American forward for N.C. State, while Randolph's mother attended North Carolina.
The NBA had also been seen as a viable option for Randolph. One teammate noted that many people at Broughton thought Randolph would either go to Duke or Florida if it was not likely that he would be a top pick in next year's NBA Draft.
Randolph is considered one of the more multifaceted players in this recruiting class. At 6-foot-9, he is known not only for his great outside shot, but also for his versatile inside moves which make him a threat in the paint. His hands are better and he is much quicker than many players his size.
However, one major concern for many scouts was Randolph's play during the summer. He went into this summer's workout as a consensus top-three player in the country, and due to an ankle injury came out as low as 40s according to some sources.
"I think Shavlik Randolph is one of the best players in the country in high school this year," said college basketball recruiting analyst Clint Jackson of Highmajorhoops.com. "I know a lot of people went down on him because he didn't have a great summer, but trust me when I say that that was only because of his injury."
Randolph's coach at Broughton, Jeff Ferrell, agrees with Jackson's assessment.
"I did not feel [Randolph dropping in the rankings] was justified," said Broughton High School basketball coach Jeff Ferrell, who refused to confirm Randolph's decision. "Many people making that assessment did not have any business making that assessment. In my opinion, he's still number one."
Evan Davis and Craig Saperstein contributed to this story.
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