The recruiting race has heated up for Class of 2015 forward Elijah Thomas. The 6-foot-9 Dallas native has impressed the nation's top scouts on the summer circuit and heads into the year ranked No. 6 in the Class of 2015 by ESPN.com.
Thomas has begun to plan his unofficial visits, and will reportedly travel to Stillwater, Okla. this weekend to visit Oklahoma State.
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Although Thomas is yet to announce any of his unofficial visit locations or dates, it appears a visit to Durham may be on the horizon in the not so distant future.
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Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has yet to offer a scholarship to a member of the Class of 2015, but it is widely speculated that Thomas could be the first. Thomas already has built a nice relationship with the Blue Devils' first Class of 2014 commit, guard Grayson Allen, on the AAU circuit, which could bode well for Duke's chances in Thomas' recruitment down the road.
But still very early in Thomas' recruitment, the field remains wide open for his services, and suitors should include a bevy of top programs.
In what was a relatively slow week on the recruiting circuit, it was activity in Columbus, Ohio that may have had the biggest impact on Duke's quest to build its 2014 recruiting class.
Ohio State picked up its fourth verbal commitment of the Class of 2014 when 6-foot-4 shooting guard D'Angelo Russell pledged to play for head coach Thad Matta. The Montverde, Fla. native is pegged as the No. 22 player in his class by Rivals and turned down offers from Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina to play for the Buckeyes.
Although Russell was not on Duke's radar, his commitment is a significant one because Ohio State is one of six schools that are still in the running to land center Jahlil Okafor and point guard Tyus Jones, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked players by ESPN.com, respectively. Okafor and Jones have often contended that they would like to attend the same school, but Russell's commitment to Ohio State clogs the Buckeye backcourt for 2014 and could hurt their chances of landing the prized duo.
Ohio State's staff will now turn its focus to Okafor's recruitment, a task that Russell told ESPN.com he will play a key role in as well.
The Ohio State staff now can turn its attention to landing a much-needed big man, and the focus will be on the No. 1 player in the ESPN 60, Jahlil Okafor, a 6-10, 265-pound center out of Chicago Whitney Young High School. Russell plans on helping the Buckeyes get Okafor."I feel I can help the coaches landing a big man. I understand them and know how to play with them," he said.
The Buckeyes are by no means out of the running to land Okafor or Jones, but ESPN Senior National Recruiting Analyst Dave Telep said he believes that Russell's commitment could certainly hurt Ohio State's chances to land either of them. Although Okafor's recruitment is not directly affected by Russell's commitment, the chances that Jones—Okafor's partner in crime—ends up in Columbus may have diminished in the past week.
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If Ohio State were to fade to the background, that would leave just Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan as the five schools that remain in contention for both Okafor and Jones.
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