Starting with Duke's two 2015 commits, both Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard were in the news this past week. At the Beach Ball Classic, Jeter posted strong numbers and also wowed fans with this two-ball dunk.
Kennard, on the other hand, wowed everyone even more with his play on the court. Kennard started the classic by scoring a Beach Ball record 52 points, breaking the record previously held by former Arizona and Sacramento Kings star Mike Bibby. The Franklin, Ohio, native followed his scoring outburst by scoring 39 points his next time out. After his dazzling play over the weekend, the Franklin hoops star has been nominated for High School Player of the Week in Ohio. Fans can vote for Kennard for the honor here.
Kennard and Jeter have played extremely well in their senior campaigns and will have a chance to gain bragging rates when their teams meet in the title game of the Beach Ball Classic Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Moving to some 2015 targets who could join Kennard and Jeter next year, there was finally some news on the Brandon Ingram front. The talented in-state forward talked with Jack LeGwin of Zagsblog.com about his final six schools and had this to say:
“All of the schools stand well. Of course you can’t go wrong with any of the six. I’ve been talking with Duke heavy, Kansas heavy, Kentucky heavy, all of them. I’ve developed good relationships, and of course it’s going to be hard to tell any one of them no, but when I’m 100 percent sure I’ll announce it.”
Perhaps more of note for Blue Devil fans, were the comments made about the recent academic scandal of their tobacco road rival: North Carolina:
“Of course it affects my decision. I really like those guys a lot, and I really like all of the colleges a lot, so I’m just waiting to see what’s going to happen because it will affect my decision a lot. Seeing if they’re going to get into the NCAA Tournament, or seeing if they shy away from anything, it definitely does affect the decision though.”
Moving from off-the-court to back on the court, Ingram and his Kingston team has been playing in the HSOT Holiday Tournament, which all of Ingram’s potential suitors have been watching carefully.
Ingram has not let this added attention faze him, as he continues to dominate on the court, including going for 34 points and 11 rebounds Tuesday night and punching home this massive slam.
Staying in the class of 2015, Caleb Swanigan had a new mixtape drop this week and it’s the type of holiday gift that makes Blue Devil fans' mouths water at the thought of him playing alongside Jeter next season in the frontcourt.
Switched gears to the 2016 class, Duke also saw a few memebers of the talented class in person this week at the HSOT Holiday Tournament.
Dennis Smith Jr., Harry Giles, Thon Maker and Sacha Killeya-Jones were all on display as head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff watched the group closely.
Starting with the talented point guard, Smith Jr. dazzled on the court, capping off his tournament by scoring 38 points on 13-of-23 shooting and dishing out four assists. Here is the highlight tape from the in-state guard’s dominating weekend:
Killeya-Jones also continued to shine at the HSOT Holiday Tournament as he has been becoming a national name over the past few months. Unfortunately for Killeya-Jones, his Virginia Episcopal team lost a close game to Liberty Christian Prep to end its title hopes. However, the loss was not because of Killeya Jones, who scored 21 points, and added six rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal in the loss.
Giles absolutely dominated the field, leading his Wesleyan team to the title and himself nabbing MVP honors. Giles' performances included a dominant 31-point and 17-board semifinal performance to lead his team to face off against Thon Maker’s Orangeville Prep Squad in the championship game, during which Giles scored 26 points and added 14 rebounds. Here are some highlights from early on in the explosive forward's MVP tournament performance:
The 7-foot-1 center Maker had a strong tournament of his own, nabbing MOP (Most Outstanding Player) honors after he racked up 16 points and nine rebounds in his team’s semifinal win and 24 points and 11 boards in his squad's close title-game defeat. Maker and Giles went back and forth in a matchup that lived up the hype. Maker lead his Orangeville Prep team to a early 30-16 win after the first quarter. However, led by Giles and Kwe Parker, Wesleyan Christian charged back ultimately taking the lead late, with Maker on the bench after fouling out.
That’s all for this week’s recruiting roundup, be sure to stay with the Blue Zone for all your recruiting news.
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