ACC Basketball: Transfer Charles Minlend picks Louisville, UVA lands key transfer

Vernon Carey and Cassius Stanley enter NBA draft

As expected, ACC ROY Vernon Carey and fellow freshman Cassius Stanley have recently entered the 2020 Draft. Carey was dominant in his lone season at Duke, finishing third in the conference in scoring (17.8), third in rebounds (8.8), fifth in blocks (1.6), and first in field goal percentage (57.7%).

The 6-10 center produced 15 double-doubles, which included 10 20-10 outings and 14 15-10 games. Carey is currently projected to be a late first or early second-round draft pick, although I believe that he will ultimately turn out to be an impact player for years to come. While Carey entered his name into the NBA Draft on April 10, Stanley did so three days earlier.

Stanley had a strong freshman campaign though he did struggle with his consistency. The 6-6 wing averaged 12.6 points along with 4.9 boards and 1.1 triples while shooting 47.4% from the field as well as 36% from beyond the arc. Stanley is projected to be a late second-round draft choice and will likely spend most of next season in the G-League.

With those two departures, Duke now has one to two scholarships remaining in 2020, depending on whether Mike Buckmire will take up a scholarship spot or not. Buckmire was awarded a scholarship last season, but there are rumors that he won’t be given one for his final season. The Blue Devils also received good news when Patrick Tape re-committed to the team.

Duke doesn’t currently have any significant need with six top incoming freshmen. But if the Blue Devils were going to add one or two more players, a big man and a wing would likely be ideal.

Other news:

• Matt Giles of Bull Durham is reporting that Duke has amped up its pursuit of a pair of 2021 five-star prospects in Paola Bonchro and Kennedy Chandler. The Blue Devils currently only have one commitment from the junior class in AJ Griffin.
• Louisville has offered three players from the class in 2021 recently. The Cardinals made overtures to 6-6 wing David Jones (Dominican Republic) on April 6; 6-3 point guard Jaden Akins (Farmington, MI) on April 7; and 6-10 center Micawber Etienne (Middletown, NY) on April 8.

• Unheralded prospect Quincy Ballard committed to Florida State on April 11. Ballard chose FSU over Maryland and his hometown Syracuse Orange. The 7-0 center is the third member of coach Leonard Hamilton’s 2020 recruiting class along with five-star Scottie Barnes and junior college transfer Sardaar Calhoun.