After months of speculation, the final piece of the recruiting puzzle has been placed. Unfortunately for Duke, that piece won't be wearing a Blue Devil uniform.
Center Myles Turner announced his decision to attend Texas Wednesday at 4 p.m on ESPNU by handing out bucket hats sporting the Longhorn logo to himself and his family. The No. 2 overall recruit according to ESPN, Turner, a 7-foot, 240-pound highlight reel, burst on the scene in the spring of his junior year and received more than 60 scholarship offers by the summer. His final list consisted of Texas, SMU, Kansas, Duke, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.
At Texas, Turner will be the go-to guy in the paint. With the ability to stretch the floor and shoot from behind-the-arc, his development of a raw offensive post game will make him one of the biggest two-way threats in the league, as his shot-blocking ability is already being tabbed as elite.
With center Jahlil Okafor, the No. 1 overall prospect, suiting up to play in the post for the Blue Devils next year, Duke was poised to have one of the most talented frontcourts in the nation had Turner decided to play in Durham. Even without Turner, the Blue Devils will be set down low as they return the much-improved Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee to bolster their presence in the paint.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils already boasted the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation entering Wednesday. Duke currently has the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2014 in Tyus Jones and the No. 15 and 21 overall prospects in Justise Winslow and Grayson Allen, respectively.
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