Let’s start with the bad news of the week first.
Prized 2015 recruit Diamond Stone announced his final four and Duke did not make the cut.
Although it would have been nice to add another elite big man to next year’s class, this news does not come as a shock to anyone, as many were surprised the Blue Devils were even included in the Wisconsin native’s final five. With elite big man Chase Jeter and sharpshooter Luke Kennard already committed, the Blue Devils' last major 2015 target remains in-state superstar Brandon Ingram.
Speaking of Ingram, he visited both Kentucky and Kansas recently and is headed to UCLA this coming weekend, instead of attending Countdown to Craziness. Ingram has been connected to UCLA more and more of late. The fact that he played for an Adidas team and now is choosing to visit the Bruins instead of attending Duke’s kickoff event cannot be viewed as a positive sign for the Blue Devils’ chances of landing the heralded in-state talent.
Continuing with Countdown to Craziness, we will be on commitment watch this weekend as both T.J. Leaf and Tyus Battle will be on campus for the spectacle. The event officially kicking off the Blue Devils' basketball season will be at 8:00 p.m. Saturday and, as always, will have the world watching.
Battle spent the last two weekends visiting Syracuse and Kentucky, while Leaf went down south to visit the Gators in Gainesville, Fla., and then went west to visit Arizona.
Both Battle and Leaf have been high on the Blue Devils as of late and it would not be a shock if one, or both, officially committed to Duke by the end of this month. Leaf, in particular, was with the Duke staff a few days before his Florida visit and certainly has a positive impression of the Blue Devils.
There are rumors that either Dennis Smith Jr. and/or Harry Giles will also attend Countdown to Craziness, but at this time, neither is officially confirmed. We will continue to update the list of visitors as we get more information. It is also possible that because both live near Duke in North Carolina, they may be last minute additions to the guest list.
That’s all for this week's recruiting roundup, be sure to stay with the Blue Zone for all your recruiting news, especially with Countdown to Craziness quickly approaching.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.