Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 2020 classes prior to spring

By Lukas Harkins

DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 23: A detailed view of a Wilson basketball on the sideline of the court during the second half in the second round game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Michigan State Spartans of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 23, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 23: A detailed view of a Wilson basketball on the sideline of the court during the second half in the second round game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Michigan State Spartans of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 23, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 07: Duke’s mascot performs. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 07: Duke’s mascot performs. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

2. Duke Blue Devils (6 commits)

Average Class Ranking: 2.0

Duke is a recruiting powerhouse. Everyone in the country knows that. Ever since head coach Mike Krzyzewski turned to using the “one-and-done” model, he has been raking in top commitments every single year and the 2020 class is no different. Duke is once again losing a ton of talent this offseason both to the NBA Draft and the transfer market but it has a strong group of reinforcements coming in. The Blue Devils’ class currently holds six commits.

While Duke is yet to snag a clear-cut Top 10 player, all six of its commits reside within the Top 50. That is pretty darn impressive and there are definitely some potential one-and-dones among these six. From a rankings perspective, playmaking wing Jalen Johnson out of Milwaukee is the top-rated player coming to Durham. He is a superb 6-foot-8 wing with the ability to score, create for others, and defend multiple positions.

Due to his strong court vision, Johnson will likely serve as the secondary playmaker within Duke’s offense throughout most of the season. That is due to the fact that point guard Jeremy Roach (No. 21/23) will run the show in the absence of Tre Jones, who will be gone to the NBA. Roach is a bit of a ground-bound lead guard but does an excellent job probing and creating.

On the wing, DJ Steward is a polished scorer that can fill it up at all three levels. He is ranked at No. 24/28 in the class and could be the early favorite to lead the Blue Devils in scoring as a freshman. He has a quick trigger from distance and uses a great first step to consistently attack the basket.

Considering Duke essentially needs to restock its roster, it is no surprise that Coach K also secured a number of solid options for the frontcourt. Mark Williams (No. 29/35) is a 7-footer that looks poised to play a bunch of minutes at the center spot while Jaemyn Brakefield (No. 37/38) and Henry Coleman (No. 44/51) are both listed as power forwards, even with vastly different playing styles.

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