As the world watches the No. 4 Blue Devils take on the No. 15 Tar Heels Wednesday night at 9 p.m., some of the best high school players in the county will be taking in the action from courtside at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 2015 commit Luke Kennard will be joined by potential teammate, and 2015 five-star center, Caleb Swanigan, as well as 2016 five-star guard Derryck Thornton. Five-star in-state talents 2015 forward Brandon Ingram, 2016 forward Harry Giles and 2016 guard Dennis Smith, Jr. have not been confirmed as guests for the game, however, local players often decide to come to the game last minute.
Chase Jeter, Duke’s second 2015 commit, will not be in attendance Wednesday, but the five-star big man will be there to watch the Blue Devils take on Syracuse Feb. 28.
Staying on the recruiting trail, Duke is starting to develop its list of 2017 targets and may have found a new one—Trae Young from Norman, Okla. Young is a four-star 6-foot-2, 170-pound point guard who currently has offers from Oklahoma State, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Baylor. Young has been speaking to Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer of late, and is certainly a name to remember for the future.
Another dynamic guard, Smith, Jr., spoke to USA Today about his recruitment as one of the top players in the class of 2016 and had this to say:
“I keep in touch with all the schools pretty regularly; I probably talk to Duke the most. I talk to Coach K a lot. I can definitely say we’re getting closer. I’m just still taking my time with the whole process and having fun.”
Moving to the hardwood, there was not much to report as many seasons are winding down, but Kennard was in the news again this week for this massive dunk in his final high school game:
Five-star 2016 combo guard Tyus Battle also put on a show this weekend, scoring 24 points in front of Michigan head coach John Beilein.
That’s all for this week’s roundup, be sure to stay with the Blue Zone for all your recruiting news and for all your coverage of this week’s Tobacco Road matchup between Duke and North Carolina Wednesday night.
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