Busting Brackets
Fansided

Duke Basketball: Breaking down the 2020 recruiting class

By Lukas Harkins

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: General view of Cameron Indoor Stadium before the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: General view of Cameron Indoor Stadium before the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: A general view of the fans. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 15: A general view of the fans. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Jeremy Roach – Fairfax, VA

PG | 6-foot-2 | 180 lbs | No. 22 overall

Duke is losing sophomore guard Tre Jones to the NBA this offseason and that will be a very tough loss to recover from. He represented an anchor for the team over the course of this past campaign with his experience and steady two-way contributions.

In terms of his potential “replacement”, Coach K is bringing in a five-star guard in the form of Jeremy Roach. Out of Paul VI Catholic, a highly-respected school in Virginia, Roach comes from a winning background and should fill a major role for Duke right away next season.

To put it simply, Roach seems to bring everything you want in a point guard to the floor. He brings a sturdy frame to the floor, can score at all three levels, is unafraid of being pass-first, and can defend at a high level thanks to quality instincts and quickness.

Roach is not an incredibly bouncy athlete but is quite acrobatic while finishing at the rim. He is a hard-nosed competitor that leads through example while on the floor. He is exceptionally talented and showed no signs of slowing down after returning from an ACL injury.

One of the keys for Roach will be emerging as a leader right away. He is an intelligent performer and showed great leadership instincts that should help him build a strong rapport with the coaching staff and his teammates as a freshman.

Tre Jones was one of the main voices for Duke last season and one of the four captains that are all no longer with the team. Roach needs to be the glue at the lead guard spot and he should be able to fill that role perfectly.

Roach could be competing with returning senior Jordan Goldwire for the starting point guard position when he arrives on campus. There is a strong possibility that they will start alongside each other as well considering Goldwire’s ability to play off-ball.

Either way, though, Roach will see solid minutes right away next season – he is simply way too talented and well-rounded not to. He lives up to the hype of being a five-star recruit and might even deserve to be rated a tad higher.

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