Chron Chat: Looney chooses UCLA

In a long-awaited decision Thursday afternoon, Milwaukee Hamilton High School forward Kevon Looney committed to play his college basketball at UCLA. Duke was among the favorites to land Looney, along with Florida, Michigan State, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

For this edition of Chron Chat, Andrew Beaton and Daniel Carp discussed the implications of Looney's decision and what Duke's next step in the recruiting game could be.

Andrew Beaton: Dan, your reaction to Looney's decision?

Daniel Carp: Hindsight is always 20/20, but I wasn't terribly surprised that the UCLA decision came out of left field. Looney's recruitment was one of the quietest in the era of the social media microscope, and I think a lot of recruiting "experts" assumed Duke would be the choice because they were the biggest name in the mix. Were you surprised at all?

AB: Well, I think everyone—myself included—had to be given that even among those who predicted he wouldn't choose Duke, there were very few saying UCLA would be the choice. We may never know exactly why he made the decision he did, but for Duke it doesn't matter: on to the next one.

DC: And the next one could be a big one, because Reid Travis is set to make his college announcement this Friday. Speculation has been that when it comes to Duke, Travis' decision was potentially tied to Looney's. With Looney off the table, how do you assess the Blue Devils' chances?

AB: Travis and Looney aren't identical players, but they play roughly the same position and you have to like Duke's chances for Travis even more once Looney went elsewhere. They weren't tied together directly, but as he considers his hometown Minnesota and Stanford, then looks at Duke, you have to think he takes potential playing time into account.

DC: Travis is one of my favorite players in this recruiting class. I had the chance to watch him at the Nike Global Challenge this year and he was one of the most dominant big men in the tournament. He's only 6-foot-8 but can run the floor really well and has a great motor on the glass. He was dominant on the AAU circuit this summer and shot up recruiting boards as a result. He was also teammates with Duke target Tyus Jones on his Howard Pulley squad, which could give him another reason to want to play in Durham.

AB: It seems like a good time to bring up Jones because he and Jahlil Okafor are the key to the class. Travis and Looney are nice pieces, but this class is made if Okafor and Jones join Grayson Allen. After that, to me, it's icing on the cake. Travis is important because this class needs a big man if they miss out on Okafor, but Okafor and Jones are the keys.

DC: Missing out on Looney probably left Duke a bit sore, but it would be a huge shot in the gut to the Blue Devils if Okafor and Jones choose to take their talents elsewhere. These are two franchise players that Duke has had its eyes on for years, and for the past year most have assumed the dynamic duo will be wearing Duke blue next year. But if there's one thing Looney's decision taught us, there is no such thing as a sure thing.