This week’s roundup starts way up in Canada, as Duke has apparently been looking into a possible new 2015 target Kyle Alexander. Alexander plays for Orangeville Prep in Ontario and its head coach, Larry Blunt, reportedly spoke to Blue Devil assistant coach Nate James. Blunt also spoke to SNY.tv and had this to say about his talented forward:
He’s 6-[foot]-10 with a 7-[foot]-4 wingspan. He runs faster than our guards and has a knack for blocking shots. His dad was a Division I 1,000-point scorer and his sister was an All-American at Syracuse and a first-round draft pick in the WNBA. The kid has been playing basketball for three years and his potential is scary.
Alexander seems virtually unknown as he is not on ESPN’s top 100, but he may be a name to remember in the future.
Moving to a much more common name for Duke fans, James was in Kinston, N.C., again this weekend to watch 2015 five-star forward Brandon Ingram play. Ingram did not disappoint, scoring 32 points and adding 13 boards and eight assists in the win.
Staying in the state of North Carolina, 2016 power forward Harry Giles was in the news this week for this ridiculous in-bounds play with teammate Kwe Parker.
Giles and Parker also visited Wake Forest together this past week to watch the Demon Deacons take on North Carolina. Parker and Giles are Wake Forest’s top two targets for the 2016 class, and it is very possible that could come down to the Blue Devils vs. the Demon Deacons for the services of the talented in-state forward.
Continuing with a player who may be a classmate of Giles someday, 2016's No. 1 recruit, small forward Jayson Tatum, spoke to Eddie Gibbon of ZagsBlog this week and had this to say about Duke:
They have one of the greatest coaches ever [Mike Krzyzewski], with almost a thousand wins now. They have a great tradition, with lots of great guys that come into that program. It’s somewhere I can see myself going.
Another five-star 2016 player, point guard Derryck Thornton, announced this week that he will be heading to Durham to watch the Blue Devils take on rival North Carolina Feb. 18. Thornton is believed by many to be tied with Dennis Smith, Jr., another Duke recruit, atop the 2016 point guard rankings.
Lastly, McDonald All-Americans will be announced Wednesday and it’s likely that both future Blue Devils Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter will be participating in the star-studded event. It is also possible that Ingram and Caleb Swanigan will make the coveted team as well. The announcement is scheduled for 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
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