Despite partially tearing his ACL, Harry Giles is still coming to Durham.
The Blue Devils added another elite recruit to their already star-studded Class of 2016 Friday after Giles announced his decision to commit to Duke in front of his teammates at Oak Hill Academy. Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing 230 pounds, the Winston-Salem, N.C., native is the top-ranked player in his class, according to ESPN.
Harry Giles, the top high school recruit in the 2016 class, announces he'll attend Duke. #LIVEonSC pic.twitter.com/SpeHnTlg36
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 6, 2015
Giles announced his decision on Friday on the noon edition of SportsCenter. The power forward projects to be an instant difference maker from the moment he steps on the court freshmen year.
Harry Giles will play basketball at Duke. He's the second No. 1 player to commit to Duke in the last 10 years, along with Jahlil Okafor.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 6, 2015
Giles choose Duke instead of Wake Forest, Kentucky and Kansas. His committment is another win in a string of victories for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski on the recruiting trail. Giles joins No. 2 recruit Jayson Tatum, five-star shooting guard Frank Jackson and four-star power forward Javin DeLaurier in what has the potential to be one of the top recruiting classes in Blue Devil history. The quartet now gives Duke a strong chance to have the No. 1 rated recruiting class for the third consecutive season.
Duke is back atop the 2016 recruiting rankings with Harry Giles (No. 1), Jayson Tatum (No. 2), Frank Jackson (14) and Javin DeLaurier (44).
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) November 6, 2015
With Giles facing a 6-8 month recovery from his injury, the high school senior will likely miss most of summer camp as he begins his Duke career.
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