4. A commitment from Isaiah Stewart
The Blue Devils have grown accustomed to having a top ranked recruiting class every year. In the last few years Duke has had many players leave for the NBA – leaving fans to learn a new slate of stars every year. Since 2014, the Blue Devils have had a top three recruiting class according to 24/sports composite.
With a minimum of three players expected to leave for the NBA after the 2018-19 season – the Blue Devils are forced to sign another top ranked class. Barrett, Williamson, and Reddish are locks for leaving the Blue Devils after one year and heading to the NBA. Fellow teammates Jones and Marques Bolden could also leave for the NBA depending on the remainder of the season.
With that in mind the Blue Devils currently have 6th overall recruiting class on 24/7sports. This class includes commitments from Vernon Carey, Wendell Moore, and Boogie Ellis. The Blue Devils are still waiting to hear from five-stars Isaiah Stewart and Matthew Hurt.
Stewart is a 6-9 forward who is ranked 6th overall in the class of 2019 according to 24/7sports composite. Krzyzewski and the Duke coaching staff made the pitch to Carey and Stewart to pair the two aside each other on the court. This would give the Blue Devils two forwards that could resemble the way the 2017-18 Blue Devil team played. As of now on 24/7sports crystal ball – they predict that Stewart has a 47 percent chance to go to Michigan State and a 29 percent chance to Duke. Stewart has not been clear on when he will make his decision, but it could come at any time.
The Blue Devils would love to bring in another top three recruiting class for the 6th straight year. Stewart’s commitment would be a gift that all Duke fans would love to see this holiday season.