Jon Scheyer could have been forgiven if he fumbled his words the first few times. After all, only one person in the past 41 years has been able to use the “Duke head coach” tag when making men’s basketball recruiting calls.
So did Scheyer have to correct himself at all in the first few days?
“I knew what to say, fortunately,” Scheyer said, laughing.
Scheyer doesn’t officially become Duke’s head coach until next spring, but he already has taken the reins of the Blue Devils’ recruiting efforts. Mike Krzyzewski didn’t go on the road during the two live June weekends, and he won’t be on the road during the three live periods in July, either. Scheyer, fellow associate head coach Chris Carrawell and newly promoted assistant Nolan Smith will be the ones in charge of the 2022 class.
And they’ve been busy, given that Duke didn’t extend any 2022 scholarship offers before last month.
“Because of COVID, it was a unique year, and we were solely locked into the season,” Scheyer said. “As it got down to it, I think Coach realized he wasn’t going to continue to coach and didn’t want to lead anybody on. Didn’t want to offer a recruit when he wasn’t going to continue to be here. But when the news broke, we were able to move forward quickly and put together a plan.”
Scheyer is more than familiar with the cachet Duke brings on the recruiting trail; he has helped maintain it. Since 2014, the Blue Devils have been arguably the most successful recruiting program in the country — and Scheyer has been in Durham, North Carolina, on Krzyzewski’s staff every step of the way. Over the past eight classes, Duke has ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s class rankings four times, No. 2 three times and No. 3 once.
Over that stretch, the Blue Devils have landed 27 five-star prospects, with Scheyer the lead recruiter on multiple players in that group.
“I know firsthand the expectations of the job. Our recruiting has had a few iterations since I’ve been here, but the consistent thing is recruiting great players, great people. That’s not going to change. You talk about a lot of things as a coach, but the best thing you can do is get the best players,” Scheyer said. “Players that want to win. That’s not changing for us. I believe in what we have here; I believe in the school.”
Duke had a productive few weeks of recruiting despite the seismic change on June 4. Scheyer’s first offer went to top-10 prospect Dereck Lively (No. 10), and Lively visited Durham later in the month. Elite wing Dariq Whitehead (No. 6) took an official visit to Duke, and the Blue Devils might be the favorite for his commitment when he announces on Aug. 1.
“It’s a little different, but I enjoyed it,” Whitehead said of the looming change. “Coach Scheyer played for [Krzyzewski], so he knows what he’s talking about.”
Other visitors included Mark Mitchell (No. 19) and Kyle Filipowski (No. 20), while Scheyer extended two other 2022 offers to Anthony Black (No. 27) and J.J. Starling (No. 38).
“Duke is a school everybody watched growing up, so to know the coaches think I’m good enough to play at that level is a good feeling,” Black said. “Especially since Coach Scheyer has been in the program, I think he’ll do a good job.”
Recruiting landscape undergoing major changes
It’s been two years since there was a shoe company-sponsored grassroots event with coaches in attendance. In that time, the landscape of recruiting has changed dramatically. And we’re not just talking about the retirements of Krzyzewski and Roy Williams.
There was a lack of in-person evaluations and on-campus visits for 15 months, a stretch that ended on June 1. That’s led to a complete shift in the recruiting calendar and the recruiting cycle. At this point in a usual cycle, there would have been just a few official visits taken so far, with a steady stream beginning in late August. But players were eager to get on campus, and coaches were anxious to host prospects, so the past few weeks have been filled with official and unofficial visits.
There was some thought that the earlier official visits might speed up recruiting timelines, but it hasn’t played out that way. Only three five-star prospects in 2022 are currently committed, and most high-major prospects are waiting to see what happens in July before planning more visits in August and the fall.
Moreover, recruiting boards and targets are less fine-tuned than they’ve been in the past. The two June weekends when coaches were allowed to watch players at certified high school events helped, but that was just a first in-person look at prospects — and it was simply a chance for coaches to get out and see their colleagues. July will take on added importance this year.
“We were spending as much time taking guys off our list as adding to it,” one coach said of the June periods.
“It was like, ‘Are you even watching?’ But people got it out of their system,” another coach said. “I think you’ll see a little more focus in July.”
The transfer portal also has exploded in the past couple of years, with the NCAA’s one-time transfer waiver — on top of the additional year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19 — creating a huge influx of players into the portal. Programs such as Kentucky and Texas, among those that had previously gone after high school recruits more heavily, opted to go the transfer route this spring during their rebuilding phases.
How will that impact high school recruiting? Will programs take fewer high school commitments to make sure there is enough room for transfers next spring?
“We have four scholarships in 2022. How many are gonna be high school kids? One?” one high-major coach said. “We’re gonna be deep in the portal.”
Then there’s the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) allowances, but we’re a long way from seeing how that truly plays out. It became legal on July 1 for college student-athletes to make money from endorsements and other avenues, with hundreds of deals already agreed in the days since. Some schools are more prepared and are pursuing it more aggressively than others, and we’ll have much more in the coming weeks and months.
But it’s clear that it is going to level the playing field between college basketball and the increasing number of professional routes: G League Ignite, National Basketball League, Overtime Elite.
“It definitely has a positive effect on college basketball for me,” top-10 prospect Chris Livingston said. “Every athlete would love to get paid for what they do, especially if people are making money off you.”
Questions at the top of 2022
Since he emerged on the scene a few years ago, Emoni Bates has been the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class and widely considered the best prospect in high school basketball. In the past several months, though, Jalen Duren has closed the gap, and as Paul Biancardi and Adam Finkelstein wrote last week, “If we were assessing only who the top high school basketball player in the country was, then Duren would have a strong case.”
Bates and Duren played together for the Team Final grassroots program for the latter part of the spring, but the expectation is that Bates will return to his father’s program, Bates Fundamentals, for the prestigious EYBL and Peach Jam events.
The conversation surrounding Bates and Duren doesn’t exclusively focus on their on-court performances, though. Both players have a number of options on the table, and it’s unclear whether either player will be in high school, college or the professional ranks next season.
Bates is more likely than Duren to still be in high school in the fall. He just turned 17 years old in January and therefore wouldn’t be able to enter the 2022 NBA draft regardless of where he plays next season. So, the likely scenario for him is to spend another year at Ypsi Prep Academy in his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and then have a decision to make. Schools are recruiting him like he has a real chance of going to college, however, with Texas, Michigan, Tennessee and others all in pursuit.
Duren arguably has more options to consider at this point in the cycle. He is weighing a reclassification into 2021, which would allow him to play in college or in the G League next season. Last week, he trimmed his list of choices to five: Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, the G League and the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.
Duren has visited each of the three final colleges on his list, and there is industry discussion — but no confirmed reports — of seven-figure offers to go the professional route.
Kentucky to reassert itself atop the recruiting pyramid?
While Memphis (2019) and Michigan (2021) have landed No. 1 classes in two of the past three years, Kentucky and Duke have been the dominant forces on the recruiting trail for the better part of a decade.
The Wildcats and Blue Devils had the No. 1 and No. 2 class, in either order, every year from 2014 to 2018, while Kentucky was No. 1 in four of the previous five years. While their dominance at the top has slipped somewhat over the past couple of years, the two programs still ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in 2020 and were both ranked in the top five even when Memphis and Michigan had the best classes.
Does Krzyzewski’s imminent exit open the door for Kentucky to reassert itself as the dominant recruiting program at the top of the college basketball food chain?
John Calipari is certainly recruiting with that mindset. While Kentucky primarily worked the transfer portal to rebuild this past spring, the Wildcats have been aggressive in the 2022 class.
They’re one of the leaders for Duren, and they also spent June welcoming a slew of five-star prospects on campus: Chris Livingston (No. 5), Shaedon Sharpe (No. 8), Brandon Miller (No. 9) and Dereck Lively (No. 10). The Wildcats already have a commitment from point guard Skyy Clark (No. 13), and they remain in pursuit of Keyonte George (No. 4), Jaden Bradley (No. 14), Adem Bona (No. 15) and others.
The latest on the top 10 in 2022
It’s too early for a Hot Board with formal predictions for the Class of 2022 just yet, but here’s a quick look at the top 10 recruitments in the rising senior class.
1. Emoni Bates, SF, Ypsi Prep (Michigan), Team Final/Bates Fundamentals (Nike)
Bates decommitted from Michigan State in late April after pledging to the Spartans last summer. The common thought is still that Bates won’t ever suit up in college, but there seems to be more of a shot now than there was a year ago. Memphis, Texas and Tennessee are among the schools involved.
2. Jalen Duren, C, Montverde Academy (Florida), Team Final (Nike)
We addressed Duren in more detail earlier, but he is down to five options: Kentucky, Memphis, Miami, G League and the NBL. He has taken visits to all three college choices on that list.
3. Amari Bailey, SG, Sierra Canyon High School (California), Strive For Greatness (Nike)
Bailey is committed to UCLA, picking the Bruins back in February.
4. Keyonte George, SG, iSchool of Lewisville (Texas), Southern Assault (Adidas)
George announced his top five in May: Baylor, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State and Kentucky. He was busy in June, going to Texas, Baylor, Kansas and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks. He hasn’t been to Kentucky yet. George also said he is focused on college, not a pro route.
5. Chris Livingston, SF, Akron Buchtel High School (Ohio), We All Can Go (Adidas)
Livingston still has 11 options on his list, including 10 schools and Overtime Elite. And he is still relatively early in his recruitment, taking just one visit in June, to Kentucky. His next visit isn’t scheduled until August, when he is set to go to Tennessee State.
6. Dariq Whitehead, SF, Montverde Academy (Florida), Team Durant (Nike)
Whitehead’s recruitment might be the next to wrap up, as he has set a commitment date of Aug. 1. He took three official visits in June, going to Duke, Florida State and Kansas. He also told ESPN he doesn’t plan on taking any more visits before his commitment.
7. Jazian Gortman, SG, W.J. Keenan High School (South Carolina), Nightrydas Elite (Nike)
One of the biggest risers in the rankings, Gortman took two visits in June to a pair of ACC schools. He went to Florida State in early June, and then went to Wake Forest last week. There are a number of other schools involved too, including South Carolina, Alabama, Illinois and more.
8. Shaedon Sharpe, SF, Dream City Christian (Arizona), UPlay Canada (Nike)
The Canada native took his first official visit to Kentucky and followed it up with an unofficial visit to Arizona a few days later. There are plenty of other schools involved, as well, and Sharpe seems prepared to take his time with his recruitment.
9. Brandon Miller, SF, Cane Ridge High School (Tennessee), Brad Beal Elite (Nike)
Miller was one of the busier ESPN 100 prospects during June, taking scheduled visits to Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky, and he also visited Tennessee State last week. He has also been contacted by multiple professional avenues, but college appears to be the focus.
10. Dereck Lively, C, Westtown School (Pennsylvania), Team Final (Nike)
Lively made several strides in his recruitment in the past few weeks, becoming the first recruit to receive an official offer from Scheyer. He took official visits to North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke, and Lively also made an unofficial trip to Penn State. Lively’s final seven include those four schools, along with Florida State, Michigan and USC.
Race for the No. 1 class
It’s still very early in the recruiting cycle, and as mentioned, the flurry of commitments following June’s official visits hasn’t really happened. Only three five-star prospects are committed, and only 26 of the ESPN 100 are off the board.
There are seven programs with multiple ESPN 100 commitments, with Memphis leading the way with three following the commitment of Noah Batchelor on Sunday. The other six — UCLA, Syracuse, Ohio State, UConn, LSU and Kansas — have two ESPN 100 pledges apiece.
All three of Memphis’ commitments are ranked in the back end of the ESPN 100, so if Penny Hardaway is to end the 2022 cycle atop the class rankings for the second time in four years, the Tigers will have to land an elite prospect. Bates or Duren would obviously fit the bill.
Of the latter group, the Bruins have the early edge for the top class. They have the highest-ranked committed player in the country in elite guard Amari Bailey, who is joined by top-40 point guard Dylan Andrews. Mick Cronin will have to do a lot more to maintain that hold on the top of the class rankings, although the Bruins did host five-star Mark Mitchell in June.
Ohio State landed two ESPN 100 commitments last fall, from Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle, and Chris Holtmann has a third player in the 2022 fold in three-star, in-state guard Bowen Hardman. The Buckeyes also hosted five-star forwards Jarace Walker and Kyle Filipowski, as well as top-40 prospects Dillon Mitchell, Julian Phillips and A.J. Casey, for official visits in June.
Kansas has been active early in 2022, landing a commitment from in-state prospect Gradey Dick in the spring and following it up last week with ESPN 100 forward Zuby Ejiofor. Bill Self and the Jayhawks also hosted ESPN 100 prospects Keyonte George, Dariq Whitehead, Mark Mitchell, Nick Smith, Aidan Shaw, Jayden Epps and others in June.
Kentucky and Duke will likely once again find themselves near the top of the rankings, as the Wildcats were one of the most aggressive programs in the country when it came to getting five-star prospects on campus in June, and Duke already has hosted four five-star prospects for official visits to Durham.