Starting with the big news of the week: 2015 commit Luke Kennard is a scoring machine. Kennard set a new state record for free throws going 34-of-40 at the free throw line and scoring a total of 47 points in his team's 77-75 win in the Flyin’ to the Hoops Showcase.
There was more news in the 2015 class, as in-state forward Brandon Ingram had quite a week on the court. Ingram scored 22 points and added four assists as he led his Kinston team to the 56-54 come-from-behind win against Trenton Catholic in the Hoophall Classic.
After the game, Ingram spoke to Eddie Gibbon of ZagsBlog and had this to say about Duke: “They’re a great program with great fans. Good people around campus”. Ingram also said he has the best relationship with three in-state coaches, Roy Williams of North Carolina, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Mark Gottfried of N.C. State. Ingram gave no announcement date, but many believe his recruitment will likely go well into the spring period.
Continuing with the class of 2015, Caleb Swanigan kept up his strong play on the court by joining Kennard on the All-Tourney team at the Flyin’ to the Hoop Showcase this past weekend.
Swanigan’s guardian Roosevelt Barnes also spoke with Adam Zagoria and had this to say about the process:
“He’s still going through the process, He’s been watching a lot of college basketball on television, but he’s focused on his high school season. It probably won’t be until after the season that he makes a decision. It will probably be sometime in April."
Barnes also then went on and talked about the in-house visit by Duke:
“Coach K came in and [Jeff] Capel came in,” Barnes said. “Their message was he’s the best big man in the country and they want him. He would bring something totally unique in the way he plays. Jahlil Okafor’s leaving next year and the way he plays, he would fit in their system. They’re showing serious interest.”
Moving onto the class of 2016, Harry Giles was once again under the spotlight Tuesday night as Coach K and Coach Capel headed out to watch the talented power forward.
Giles has been off to a scorching start and Courtside Films recently released a new mixtape with highlights from his strong early-season performance.
Continuing with the 2016 class, top-ranked player Jayson Tatum put his special skills on display as he scored 25 points and added 14 rebounds in the Hoophall Classic. Tatum also announced this week that his first official visit would be to Durham to watch the Blue Devils take on Syracuse Feb. 28.
Lastly, a new 2016 target has emerged as Duke has begun to heavily recruit Isaac Humphries. Some will remember Humphries from his strong FIBA U-17 performance on the Australian team this summer. Brad Johnstin, the associate Head Coach for Humphries’ La Lumiere team, had this to say about the player:
“He’s freakishly skilled. He’s the most skilled 7-footer I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t really have an upside just because it’s that high. Because of his body and how flexible he is, I think he’s going to play basketball for a really long time. His outside shot, his form, his mechanics are great. It’s just essentially getting reps down and honing in on that. I think he’s going to be able to play some five and four professionally. He’s just gotta keep developing that. In terms of his upside, he sees and feels the game so well. He’s competitive, he’s tough, he’s just putting everything together.”
After such a glowing review, it is no surprise that Duke is joined by Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA and Oregon in Humphries recruitment.
In terms of any timetable for his decisions, Johnstin had this to say: “I think he would like to have his five official visits maybe around August, just have an idea, but there’s no rush in terms of that. He’s so wide open, he’s so new to all of this. He’s really looking to build relationships with those guys.”
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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