HAMPTON, Va.—Holding a Duke scholarship offer, 2014 swingman Justise Winslow is a coveted prospect. The 6-foot-6 wing unofficially visited Duke when it played host to Miami. Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski recently conducted an in-home visit with Winslow, and Krzyzewski watched every single one of Winslow's games in Hampton, Va. during the second session of the Nike EYBL. The Houston native took some time this weekend to discuss where things are at in his closely tracked recruitment.
Question: Arizona gets a lot of press as the speculated frontrunner in your recruitment. Can you just touch on that program and your view on them?
Answer: I have a great relationship with Coach Miller and Coach Pasternack. That’s a really big thing and just starting something new: taking Coach Miller to his first Final Four. He thinks I can be a big key in getting him there. That’s big in my recruitment.
Q: What's your timeline for official visits?
A: I’m not sure if I’m going to take all of my official visits. I’ve visited all of the schools already unofficially, but if I haven’t decided by the fall then I’ll probably take my official visits. I’m going to try and commit as soon as possible. If I’m going to say, “No,” the coaches want me to tell them as soon as possible.
Q: Do you have any sort of timeline for a decision?
A: Hopefully by like August, but it probably won’t be until November.
Q: How do you view the schools on your list? Are there some leaders?
A: There are some leaders, but I wouldn’t say that any team is too far ahead of another school. I’m looking to cut down soon. I’d say it’s pretty fair right now.
Q: Can you touch on the potential package deal of you, Okafor and Jones? Okafor and Jones are pretty set on attending the same school.
A: It’s definitely something we talk about. I would say 90 percent that them two are going to the same school together and we’ve talked about me joining them. But, we all three have to do what’s best for us.
Q: Do you feel like your Duke’s No. 1 priority on the wing for the class of 2014?
A: Definitely. That’s what they make it seem like. They are at all of the games. They are constantly texting me, calling me and telling me how much they want me. So that’s a good thing.
Q: What's your outlook on Duke’s roster as it pertains to the wings with Rodney Hood, Jabari Parker and others? Does those two staying at Duke after this year factor into your decision much?
A: Yeah, it definitely factors in, but you know I just have to do what is best for me. I have to try and predict the future to see if they are going to leave or not. If I do decide to go to Duke and I’m behind them, then that’s only going to make me better playing with Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood. You know they are really going to get me better in practice everyday.
Q: Current Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon played for the Houston Hoops AAU team and is a Houston guy. Can you talk about your relationship with him and whether he is recruiting you to Duke?
A: Me and Rasheed, we go way back working out together in Houston and playing for the Houston Jaguars six or seven years ago. So, Rasheed and I have a tight bond before he was even considering Duke. Now that he’s at Duke, of course he wants me to go there. So, we text probably about once a week, but you know sometimes it’s not recruiting. It’s how’s Houston, how’s your season going, how’s school and things like that. I’d say we are good friends and he wants me to go there.
Q: How big of a factor is distance as you go about making your college decision?
A: Going away from home is no big deal, but it definitely helps if a school is close. So if I happen to go to a school like UCLA or Duke that is far on the coast, it wouldn’t be a bad thing at all. If I could go to a school like Texas A&M that’d be a great thing because College Station is like an hour away from my house.
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