After one of the biggest recruiting battles in the Class of 2007, the No. 2 player in the country, Luol Deng, officially announced his verbal commitment to the men's basketball team at a press conference Tuesday at his high school, Blair Academy (N.J.).
The 6-foot-8, 217 pound small forward chose the Blue Devils over Indiana, Virginia and Missouri. Deng is the second and final member of the Class of 2007, joining Minn., native power forward Kris Humphries on the team next season.
Deng was not the only Blair standout announcing his decision Wednesday. Teammate Charlie Villanueva, also a consensus top-5 recruit, announced he would spend his collegiate days at Illinois. The only school both were considering was Indiana.
"It was a very difficult decision," Deng said. "The schools we considered all treated us wonderfully. Charlie and I shared our experiences and ultimately needed to make the decisions we felt were best for each of us."
Deng said that he talked with his family and made the decision over the weekend before informing the coaching staff Sunday night.
The announcement came on the heels of Deng's official visit to Duke--the Sudan native visited Durham Oct. 25 to 27, a weekend that gave him the chance to see the Blue-White Scrimmage in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
With Sports Illustrated cover boy LeBron James almost certainly making the jump from high school to the NBA, Deng, who has been placed in the second slot in his class by virtually every recruiting guru, is considered by many to be the best high school player available.
"After visiting Duke I got the idea of what I wanted to do," Deng said. "My dad came over and my brother came down and I sat down with them a made the decision this weekend."
The Blue Devils hope that Deng, who is known for his stingy defense, will be able to fill in the small forward role that will be vacated by senior Dahntay Jones at the end of the season. Last year at Blair, Deng averaged 22 points and 12 boards while leading his team to the state finals for his high school's class.
A world traveler, Deng's trek to Durham has taken him through three continents. He was born in Sudan before moving to Egypt and finally England. He then came to the United States to board at Blair despite the fact his parents stayed in London.
Head men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant coach Chris Collins made a visit to the United Kingdom to meet with Deng's parents earlier in the year.
Deng's announcement confirmed The Chronicle's report Tuesday that Deng would attend Duke.
Deng, however, will play one game in Durham before matriculating at Duke--Blair Academy is set to take on Bishop O'Connell in Cameron Jan. 11.
"I enjoyed it, but I'm glad it's over," Villanueva said. "Luol and I can now focus on our final season at Blair and hopefully make it a year to remember.
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