In an offseason that has resulted in the loss of four of Duke's five top scorers from last season, the Blue Devils finally had some good news come their way Sunday.
Five-star recruit Angela Salvadores verbally committed to the Blue Devils via Twitter. ESPN has her slated as the No. 5 overall player in the Class of 2015.
Salvadores had visited with Purdue, Kentucky and Louisville in addition to Duke. The commitment—like all verbals made by recruits—is not official until she signs with the Blue Devils.
The move is crucial for Duke, which lost starting point guard Alexis Jones to Baylor via transfer in July. Although she would have not played this upcoming season due to a pair of knee injuries, the loss of Jones was still tough for a squad that also graduated seniors Tricia Liston, Haley Peters and All-American point guard Chelsea Gray.
This makes the addition of Salvadores all the more important, as she will replace the lost scoring production of Jones in addition to that of All-American center Elizabeth Williams, who is set to graduate this upcoming spring. The 17-year old point guard was named tournament MVP for her performance on Spain's national team in the FIBA U17 World Championship this past summer. Against Team USA, she dropped 40 points and shot 71.4 from behind the arc as Spain dropped the contest 77-75. Throughout the tournament, she averaged 19.9 points with a 49.6 shooting percentage and 7.4 rebound per game.
Salvadores joins two five-star players in Duke's 2015 class in point guard Kyra Lambert and guard Faith Suggs. Four-star recruit guard Haley Gorecki rounds out the group. This additions gives Duke the opportunity to build on its strong string of recruiting classes. The Blue Devils Class of 2014 was ranked No. 2 by ESPN.
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