After losing both Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones following the 2014-15 season, the Duke coaching staff was able to land a commitment from point guard Derryck Thornton, who reclassified to become the Blue Devils' lone true floor general heading into next season.
Sunday, the Duke staff will entertain another top-tier guard when Trae Young—one of the top point guards in the Class of 2017—will take a visit.
“I’m really excited about the visit and especially seeing the campus,” Young said. “I’ve never been to Cameron Indoor, but I’m going to go in with an open mind and look at everything carefully."
The Norman, Okla., native heads to Durham following an impressive performance at the NBPA Top 100 camp, where he connected on a game-winning layup and displayed a deadly shooting stroke. Young got hot from beyond the arc during a back-and-forth battle with Class of 2017 guard Gary Trent Jr. of Apple Valley High School—the alma mater of former Blue Devil point guard Tyus Jones.
Young is currently the third-ranked point guard and No. 22 overall prospect in the Class of 2017, according to the ESPN 60 rankings. But judging by the 6-foot-1 floor general's most recent performance, his stock could be on the rise. The junior currently holds offers from 19 schools, according to 247Sports.com, including powerhouses such as Connecticut, Kansas, UCLA and Arizona.
Young does not currently hold an offer from Duke, but that could change by the time the weekend visit wraps up. Coming off the program's fifth national title in April, the Blue Devils have the track record the point guard is looking for.
“The recent success of Duke is pretty big,” Young said. “That shows that the school is a winning program and I want to go to a winning program. But even if they didn’t win this year, Duke speaks for itself.”
If the five national title banners did not speak loud enough, Young added that the consistent flow of talent from head coach Mike Krzyzewski's program into the NBA is another thing that caught his eye. That pipeline could send three more Blue Devils—Jones, Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow—into the first round of the NBA draft Thursday evening.
“Making it to the NBA has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember,” Young said. “I know it’s not going to happen without hard work and I need to continue to work hard and get better wherever I go."
From the junior’s highlight tapes and scouting reports, Young’s smooth shooting stroke and ability to fire off the dribble has been compared to that of NBA MVP Stephen Curry—but his command of the offense is also reminiscent of the skills Jones brought to Durham en route to Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
When asked about the comparisons, Young insisted that he is his own player, but acknowledged the similarities he and Jones share.
“Steph Curry has been one the players I idolize the most,” he said. “I try to pattern my game a lot after him and I watch a lot of film and tape on him. Right now, I’m more of a Tyus Jones type of player with my decision-making and abilities, but I’d like to be a little of both in the future.”
Okafor and Jones teamed up to commit to Duke together and brought WInslow into the mix as well. Young has a similar idea in mind, angling to form a package deal with forward Michael Porter Jr.—ESPN's second-ranked prospect in the Class of 2017. The two have competed against one another on the AAU circuit since the fourth grade and have discussed setting up their recruitment to keep plans for a joint commitment alive.
Young and Porter Jr. currently play on the same AAU team—Mokan Elite—which finished third in its division of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.
“Michael and I would love to play at the next level together,” Young said. “There’s still a long way to go, but as of now that is kind of what we want to do.”
Another advantage Duke may have when it comes to landing the Norman, Okla., native is an Oklahoma connection with Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel, who served as the head coach at Oklahoma from 2006 to 2011. Young was a former ball boy for the Sooners.
With two years of high school still to go, Young does not have to make his college decision for quite some time. But he expressed a desire to get the process over with sooner rather than later.
“Personally, I would like to commit somewhere before my senior year, but that is something me and my family need to continue to discuss," Young said.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.