Duke Basketball: Impact of commitment from Henry Coleman

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils reacts against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – MARCH 23: VT head coach Mike Young. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /

Impact on the other contenders

Virginia Tech was easily the top contender with Duke for this potential commitment. They were the only other program aside from Duke that received an official visit from the budding forward.

New head coach Mike Young is starting to develop a strong reputation on the recruiting trail in his first few months with the Hokies. He has already secured a pair of commitments in the 2020 class and there is a bright future ahead with him at the helm. Of course, the VT fanbase was hoping for a commitment from Coleman but Coach Young showed the ability to compete with the best of the best on the recruiting trail.

Shooting guards Joe Bamisile (No. 65) and Darius Maddox (No. 85) are Virginia Tech’s two early commits and the fanbase should not be upset about losing this recruiting battle. Duke is nearly impossible to beat out for a commitment and Coleman had long been rumored to be leaning towards the Blue Devils. Coach Young is off to a great start on the recruiting trail and that should continue into the future. No reason to worry.

The other members of Coleman’s final five were Michigan, NC State, and Ohio State.

Again, as already mentioned, Coleman was expected to go to Duke for some time. As a result, it would have been extremely difficult for any other program to sneak in and land this commitment. Most programs have likely already moved past Coleman as a result and they are seeking decisions from other top-rated prospects.

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