Duke basketball recruiting roundup: 2012-2014 classes
By Taylor Ostrick — Duke as always is in the midst of recruiting many different players from various classes. Coach K and the rest of the staff have been hard at work, attempting to get some of the top players in the country to come to Durham and play for the Blue Devils. With all the rumors that go around, following recruting can sometimes be confusing for a fan so here is a basic rundown of the players that Duke is actively recruiting in the 2012-2014 classes.
Class of 2012: Commitments (1)- Rasheed Sulaimon #11.
Offers (3)- Shabazz Muhammad #1, Amile Jefferson #21, Tony Parker #19
Rasheed Sulaimon(Committed): 6’4″ guard, Houston, Texas- Sulaimon officially signed with Duke during the early signing period and is the #2 guard in the class. The 6’4 guard is a force on both sides of the ball. He is not only one of the best pure scorers in the class but a great defender and a high character guy. (There is a reason he gets many comparisons to Nolan Smith) In other words, he is the exact type of guard that Coach K has made a habit of winning with year after year. Sulaimon is currently in the middle of his senior basketball season at Strake Jesuit High School, averaging 27.8 points per game. His team is 22-3, and he recently recorded his second straight 40+ point game. Sulaimon was recently selected to participate in the annual Jordan Brand Classic game and the McDonald’s All-American game, both of which feature some of most talented and highly ranked high school players in the country.
Shabazz Muhammad(Offered): 6’5″ small foward, Las Vegas, Nevada- Everyone knows Muhammad, the highly touted #1 player in the class who is considering Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Texas A&M and Kansas. It has been well documented through comments from he and his father that Muhammad is not expected to make a decision until the spring signing period. Although he still pretty long list, many believe Kentucky, Duke and UCLA are in the lead for Muhammad. He has an excellent relationship with Coach K and it looks as though Duke will be in this one until the end. Shabazz is known for his offensive versatility, scoring, athleticsm, intensity, tenacious demeanor on the court. This is a player who has a serious killer instinct. He brings it every night and is a ferocious competitor. Muhammad is currently averaging 29.1 points per game in his senior season at Bishop Gorman High and will play in both the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald’s All-American game. Muhammad is scheduled to take his official visit to Duke in the spring for the North Carolina game.
Amile Jefferson (Offered)- 6’8″ power foward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- Although not a true back to the basket post player, Jefferson is adept at facing the basket and scoring in the paint. He is a long, athletic player with a high motor and a great feel for the game. Perhaps his best quality is his feel for the game, as he is a smart player with a very high basketball IQ (think Shane Battier). A crucial detail to consider when looking at Jefferson’s recruitment is the importance that he puts on academics. He is currently averaging 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game at Friends Central High School. Duke, who recruited Jefferson when he was a sophmore before backing off, dove back into this recruitment in a big way. The Blue Devils contacted him in early January and offered him a scholarship shortly thereafter. Jefferson, whose father recently stated his son will likely make a decision towards the middle of February (once his high school season ends), has already visited Duke more then once and is very familiar with the Blue Devils’ coaching staff and basketball program. Amile is considering NC State, Duke, Villanova, UConn and Ohio State. NC State and Duke are widely considered the leaders for Jefferson’s services. Read more
Duke Recruits Selected For McDonald’s All-American Game
The future of Duke Basketball is still in flux as the Blue Devils still have committable scholarship offers out to 3 undecided players in the Class of 2012. Rasheed Sulaimon is the lone committed member of the senior class. The other players who may join him are Tony Parker, Amile Jefferson and Shabazz Muhammad.
All 3 of those players received invitations to the McDonald’s All-American game, which will be played on March 28th. The game will be live on ESPN at 9:30 PM EST.
Amile will join Tony Parker as frontcourt teammates on the West Team while Rasheed Sulaimon will play on the East Team with Shabazz Muhammad. See the entire roster at FiveStarBasketball.com here.
On the selection show broadcast on ESPNU, Shabazz Muhammad shared that he would make his college announcement sometime in April.
Duke Basketball Recruit Stats Tracker: Version 3.0
By Chad Lykins — The future for the Duke Blue Devils looks incredibly bright as they have picked up two commitments from two of the best scorers on the high school level in Rasheed Sulaimon (2012) and Matt Jones (2013). It won’t stop with just those two as the Blue Devils are in hot pursuit of 2012 prospects Shabazz Muhammad, Tony Parker, & Amile Jefferson and 2013 prospects Jabari Parker & Julius Randle (Editor’s Note – In this updated version, you will notice that Ricardo Gathers has been taken off of the list, as Duke has cooled on their recruitment of Gathers).
Here at Duke Hoop Blog, I will be following each of the 7 players above very closely through their junior and senior seasons. Check out their numbers listed below for game by game stats (as I have compiled) for each player:
Rasheed Sulaimon – Strake Jesuit (22-3) – 2012 Commit
Scoring Average: 27.8 ppg
11/14 vs. Jones – 92-67 W – 36 Pts.
11/18 vs. Dallas Jesuit – 72-67 W – 20 Pts.
11/22 vs. Wheatley – 87-75 W – 29 Pts.
11/26 vs. Lamar Consolidated – 64-43 W – 26 Pts.
11/29 vs. St. Thomas – 61-49 W – 20 Pts.
12/1 vs. Oakland Tech – 80-42 W – 28 Pts.
12/2 vs. Sheldon – 87-73 W – 26 Pts.
12/3 vs. Jesuit – 55-68 L – 21 Pts.
12/6 vs. Cypress Lakes – 66-67 L – 35 Pts.
12/12 vs. Chavez – 73-47 W – 32 Pts.
12/17 vs. Seven Lakes – 83-62 W – 32 Pts.
12/20 vs. Langham Creek – 74-73 W – 30 Pts.
12/28 vs. Garner – 63-76 L – 13 Pts.
12/29 vs. Wheeler – 70-63 W – 29 Pts.
12/30 vs. Middle Creek – 54-39 W – 21 Pts.
1/3 vs. Cinco Ranch – 52-41 W – 22 Pts.
1/6 vs. Morton Ranch – 59-52 W – 25 Pts.
1/10 vs. Mayde Creek – 83-57 W – 24 Pts.
1/13 vs. Memorial – 59-48 W – 30 Pts.
1/17 vs. Taylor – 59-51 W – 34 Pts.
1/20 vs. Katy – 81-45 W – 31 Pts.
1/24 vs. Seven Lakes – 74-61 W – 30 Pts.
1/27 vs. Cinco Ranch – 73-47 W – 20 Pts.
1/31 vs. Morton Ranch – 71-62 W – 40 Pts.
2/3 vs. Mayde Creek – 83-58 W – 41 Pts.
Matt Jones – Desoto (25-5) – 2013 Commit
Scoring Average: 18.6 ppg
11/14 vs. Dunbar – 85-56 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Manvel – 52-32 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Westlake – 59-55 W – 16 Pts.
11/18 vs. Berkner – 67-64 W – 19 Pts.
11/18 vs. FB Bush – 73-63 W – 35 Pts.
11/19 vs. FM Marcus – 42-55 L – 6 Pts.
11/22 vs. Richland – 40-41 L – 14 Pts.
11/26 vs. Wheeler – 65-42 W – 29 Pts.
12/1 vs. Fort Trimble Tech – 63-43 W – 14 Pts.
12/2 vs. Arlington – 66-26 W – 16 Pts.
12/3 vs. South Grand Prairie – 68-56 W – 30 Pts.
12/3 vs. Arlington Seguin – 67-57 W – 20 Pts.
12/6 vs. Conrad – 69-58 W – 24 Pts.
12/9 vs. Duncanville – 67-50 – 28 Pts.
12/13 vs. Pinkston – 63-35 W – 18 Pts.
12/20 vs. Trinity Christian – 59-39 W – 4 Pts.
12/28 vs. Coppell – 77-39 W – 22 Pts.
12/29 vs. Plano West – 46-53 L – 4 Pts.
12/30 vs. North Crowley – 61-43 W – 17 Pts.
12/30 vs. FM Marcus – 42-58 L – 24 Pts.
12/31 vs. Ennis – 51-37 W – 16 Pts.
1/3 vs. University – 51-41 W – 21 Pts.
1/7 vs. Lovejoy – 73-37 W – 27 Pts.
1/13 vs. North Mesquite – 46-34 W – 22 Pts.
1/17 vs. Lee – 50-31 W – 21 Pts.
1/20 vs. Horn – 57-43 W – 10 Pts.
1/24 vs. Mesquite – 52-55 L – 25 Pts.
1/27 vs. Longview – 66-48 W – 20 Pts.
1/31 vs. North Mesquite – 47-36 W 12 Pts.
2/3 vs. Lee – 51-31 W – 14 Pts.
Duke Basketball Recruit Stats Tracker: Version 2.0
By Chad Lykins — The future for the Duke Blue Devils looks incredibly bright as they have picked up two commitments from two of the best scorers on the high school level in Rasheed Sulaimon (2012) and Matt Jones (2013). It won’t stop with just those two as the Blue Devils are in hot pursuit of 2012 prospects Shabazz Muhammad, Tony Parker, Ricardo Gathers & as of last week Amile Jefferson (who was extended an offer on Sunday) and 2013 prospects Jabari Parker & Julius Randle.
Here at DukeHoopBlog.com, I will be following each of the 6 players above very closely through their junior and senior seasons. Check out their numbers listed below for game by game stats (as I have researched) for each player:
Rasheed Sulaimon – Strake Jesuit (14-3) – 2012 Commit
Scoring Average: 26.2 ppg
11/14 vs. Jones – 92-67 W – 36 Pts.
11/18 vs. Dallas Jesuit – 72-67 W – 20 Pts.
11/22 vs. Wheatley – 87-75 W – 29 Pts.
11/26 vs. Lamar Consolidated – 64-43 W – 26 Pts.
11/29 vs. St. Thomas – 61-49 W – 20 Pts.
12/1 vs. Oakland Tech – 80-42 W – 28 Pts.
12/2 vs. Sheldon – 87-73 W – 26 Pts.
12/3 vs. Jesuit – 55-68 L – 21 Pts.
12/6 vs. Cypress Lakes – 66-67 L – 35 Pts.
12/12 vs. Chavez – 73-47 W – 32 Pts.
12/17 vs. Seven Lakes – 83-62 W – 32 Pts.
12/20 vs. Langham Creek – 74-73 W – 30 Pts.
12/28 vs. Garner – 63-76 L – 13 Pts.
12/29 vs. Wheeler – 70-63 W – 29 Pts.
12/30 vs. Middle Creek – 54-39 L – 21 Pts.
1/3 vs. Cinco Ranch – 52-41 W – 22 Pts.
1/6 vs. Morton Ranch – 59-52 W – 25 Pts.
Matt Jones – Desoto (19-4) – 2013 Commit
Scoring Average: 18.9 ppg
11/14 vs. Dunbar – 85-56 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Manvel – 52-32 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Westlake – 59-55 W – 16 Pts.
11/18 vs. Berkner – 67-64 W – 19 Pts.
11/18 vs. FB Bush – 73-63 W – 35 Pts.
11/19 vs. FM Marcus – 42-55 L – 6 Pts.
11/22 vs. Richland – 40-41 L – 14 Pts.
11/26 vs. Wheeler – 65-42 W – 29 Pts.
12/1 vs. Fort Trimble Tech – 63-43 W – 14 Pts.
12/2 vs. Arlington – 66-26 W – 16 Pts.
12/3 vs. South Grand Prairie – 68-56 W – 30 Pts.
12/3 vs. Arlington Seguin – 67-57 W – 20 Pts.
12/6 vs. Conrad – 69-58 W – 24 Pts.
12/9 vs. Duncanville – 67-50 – 28 Pts.
12/13 vs. Pinkston – 63-35 W – 18 Pts.
12/20 vs. Trinity Christian – 59-39 W – 4 Pts.
12/28 vs. Coppell – 77-39 W – 22 Pts.
12/29 vs. Plano West – 46-53 L – 4 Pts.
12/30 vs. North Crowley – 61-43 W – 17 Pts.
12/30 vs. FM Marcus – 42-58 L – 24 Pts.
12/31 vs. Ennis – 51-37 W – 16 Pts.
1/3 vs. University – 51-41 W – 21 Pts.
1/7 vs. Lovejoy – 73-37 W – 27 Pts.
Leadership, Sportsmanship and Composure: Rasheed Sulaimon
With four minutes and change left on the clock, but no more time left for Rasheed Sulaimon to play in the game, the senior guard walked off the court towards his bench. Head sunk, shoulders shrugged, and a body ravaged by food poisoning; the talented basketball player was about to join the large crowd seated in Holliday Gymnasium as a spectator. Steps away from his destination however, this young man did something unusual for a basketball player who had just fouled out of a game. Instead of sitting down, he turned his body and began walking towards the Garner Trojans’ bench and proceeded to shake the hand of all five of their coaches.
It was something I’ve never seen before, on any level of basketball. But then again, I had never watched Strake Jesuit play before.
Sulaimon would later explain that he wanted to show respect to the Garner coaches for the defense they put on Strake Jesuit. Garner head coach Eddie Gray used a triangle and two to hold Rasheed to his lowest scoring output of the season.
Frustrated and feeling ill, Rasheed entered the media room 20 minutes after the game and in line with his behavior during the game patiently waited through a ten minute interview session after the main press conference. He answered every question thrown at him thoughtfully and completely and refused to use the food poisoning he was suffering from as an excuse for his or his team’s performance.
Strake Jesuit coach Wayne Jones says of his senior guard:
He’s one of those who has set himself apart from the very beginning of his career. We’ve worked very hard for him on the leadership thing on and off the court. It’s not just something he’s concentrated on for 32 minutes on the 94×50 but it’s in the classroom, it’s in the locker room, it’s in the cafeteria. He’s really done a great job of improving that as time goes on. He’s one of the first ones to practice and one of the last ones to leave.
Duke Basketball Recruit Stats Tracker
By Chad Lykins — The future for the Duke Blue Devils looks incredibly bright as they have picked up two commitments from two of the best scorers on the high school level in Rasheed Sulaimon (2012) and Matt Jones (2013). It won’t stop with just those two as the Blue Devils are in hot pursuit of 2012 prospects Shabazz Muhammad, Tony Parker & Ricardo Gathers and 2013 prospects Jabari Parker & Julius Randle.
Here at DukeHoopBlog.com, I will be following each of the 5 players above very closely through their junior and senior seasons. Check out their numbers listed below for game by game stats (as I have researched) for each player:
Rasheed Sulaimon – Strake Jesuit (10-2) – 2012 Commit
Scoring Average: 27.9 ppg
11/14 vs. Jones – 92-67 W – 36 Pts.
11/18 vs. Dallas Jesuit – 72-67 W – 20 Pts.
11/22 vs. Wheatley – 87-75 W – 29 Pts.
11/26 vs. Lamar Consolidated – 64-43 W – 26 Pts.
11/29 vs. St. Thomas – 61-49 W – 20 Pts.
12/1 vs. Oakland Tech – 80-42 W – 28 Pts.
12/2 vs. Sheldon – 87-73 W – 26 Pts.
12/3 vs. Jesuit – 55-68 L – 21 Pts.
12/6 vs. Cypress Lakes – 66-67 L – 35 Pts.
12/12 vs. Chavez – 73-47 W – 32 Pts.
12/17 vs. Seven Lakes – 83-62 W – 32 Pts.
12/20 vs. Langham Creek – 74-73 W – 30 Pts.
Matt Jones – Desoto (14-2) – 2013 Commit
Scoring Average: 18.9 ppg
11/14 vs. Dunbar – 85-56 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Manvel – 52-32 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Westlake – 59-55 W – 16 Pts.
11/18 vs. Berkner – 67-64 W – 19 Pts.
11/18 vs. FB Bush – 73-63 W – 35 Pts.
11/19 vs. FM Marcus – 42-55 L – 6 Pts.
11/22 vs. Richland – 40-41 L – 14 Pts.
11/26 vs. Wheeler – 65-42 W – 29 Pts.
12/1 vs. Fort Trimble Tech – 63-43 W – 14 Pts.
12/2 vs. Arlington – 66-26 W – 16 Pts.
12/3 vs. South Grand Prairie – 68-56 W – 30 Pts.
12/3 vs. Arlington Seguin – 67-57 W – 20 Pts.
12/6 vs. Conrad – 69-58 W – 24 Pts.
12/9 vs. Duncanville – 67-50 – 28 Pts.
12/13 vs. Pinkston – 63-35 W – 18 Pts.
12/20 vs. Trinity Christian – 59-39 W – 4 Pts.
Duke Targets at Holiday Invitational Tournament (Raleigh, NC)
With Duke Basketball off until 7 PM on the 30th of this month, you may be jonesing for something to get your mind off your guests who are overstaying their welcome this holiday season. If you’re in the Raleigh area, HighSchoolOT.com and BallIsLife.com have the cowbell to cure your fever.
Formerly known as the Glaxo Invitational, this event has brought some of the best high school basketball teams in the country to Broughton High School for 40 years. The 2011 version is no different, with teams coming in from Georgia, Massachusetts, New York and Texas. The tournament runs from December 27-30th.
For Duke fans, December 28th looks like the best day to come as 2012 commit Rasheed Sulaimon and his Strake Jesuit team will face off against Garner High School at 7:20 PM and 2014 wing forward Theo Pinson will bring his High Point Wesleyan Christian Academy squad into the gym at 2:20 against Miller School. Both of these guys grew up Duke fans just like you so get out and show them some love.
Check Out The Full Schedule Here
This tournament strategically takes place just after the NCAA recruiting dead period of December 24-26th so you will most certainly see many Division 1 coaches in attendance evaluating any number of prospects. Don’t miss your chance to see basketball’s best players before they make it big. Read more
2013 Sharpshooter Matt Jones Commits To Duke
Hailing from DeSoto, Texas and an unbelievable long range shooter, 2013 shooting guard Matt Jones has given his verbal commitment to Duke. Matt went on an unofficial visit to Durham during the Countdown to Craziness festivities, accompanying Rasheed Sulaimon on his official visit. Just like the Duke coaching staff did with Rasheed, they made Jones a focus of the weekend and it had the same results. Check out some highlights from BallIsLife.com.
And PrepForce.com
Read more
Early Signing Period Starts Today: What’s In Store For Duke?
The early college basketball signing period is now upon us. From today through November 16th, verbally committed players in the class of 2012 will put pens to paper and officially sign letters of intent with their chosen schools. Duke has one commit thus far: 6’3″, 175 lb guard Rasheed Sulaimon who will be signing during this early period. Sulaimon, the #10 overall player in Scout.com’s 2012 top 100, verbally committed to Duke in February. To round out their class, Duke hopes to land big man Tony Parker (ranked #19) and the consensus #1 player in 2012, Shabazz Muhammad.
Despite having only one commitment at this point, Coach Krzyzewski and the Duke coaching staff believe they have the best guard in the class in Sulaimon. An excellent prospect for his entire career, Rasheed has really improved and become an elite all around player over the summer. The 6’3 guard has good length and athleticism and is a high energy player. He has a nice mid-range game, is adept at getting to the rim and is one of the best shooters in his class from long distance. To put it simply, he can flat out score the ball. Sulaimon has all the tools to be a ferocious defender if he puts his mind to it, and that is just what he did on the AAU circuit this past summer. Krzyzewski has said he plans to use Sulaimon at both the point guard and the shooting guard spots during his time at Duke. “I was just talking to the coaching staff and they said they are comfortable with me playing both the one and the two, they think I’m versatile enough to do both,” Sulaimon said in an interview with Duffy Hoops last April. Duke is not only getting an excellent player in Sulaimon but a great person as well. “I can’t wait to get to Duke.” Sulaimon says in the Duffy Hoops interview. ”Each and every night I put on a Duke uniform I am going to try my hardest to win each and play my heart out for the Cameron Crazies.” Duke fans are going to love this kid. Read more
Rasheed Sulaimon With A Nasty Tomahawk Dunk
All reports about 2012 Duke Basketball signee Rasheed Sulaimon from this summer have noted his increased athleticism and a push in the attack mentality that makes players great. Want some visual evidence? Watch below as he freezes his defender with a ball fake and elevates to the rim for a thunderous tomahawk dunk.
Thanks to BallIsLife.com for the video.
