Duke's Position In Wall Sweepstakes Up For Debate

Over the past week, all has been (relatively) quiet on the John Wall front, but did anyone expect that to last very long?

The end of this week has brought another round of "expert" opinions and "insider" information on Wall's decision making process, and despite the multitude of reports no consensus can be reached about any aspect of Wall's recruitment.

Take, for instance, the issue of exactly when Wall plans to commit.  Tuesday, SI.com's Luke Winn wrote that Wall could wait until after the May 20th deadline for the late signing period to make his decision, a possibility Wall's adviser, Brian Clifton, has emphasized over the past months remains a possibility.  On Thursday, though,  ESPN's Andy Katz reported that a source told him to expect Wall to commit to a school before May 20th, and the buzz on recruiting websites like rivals.com and scout.com has echoed this sentiment.

Duke's standing in the Wall sweepstakes is also up for debate.  In Winn's article, Clifton appears to speak of Duke in very high regard, and subtly knocks Kentucky's chances after their signing of Eric Bledsoe.  Clifton liked Duke's opening at the point guard position and the possibility of Wall winning a national championship next season, while he was tentative about the possibility of Wall sharing playing time with Bledsoe at Kentucky.

Many believe Duke, though, might be out of the running for the No. 1 point guard.  Although Wall and Clifton have made no official announcement with regards to Duke, numerous recruiting analysts, including Katz, have reported that now Kentucky and Miami are Wall's final two choices.

Feel free to post any news you find and your opinions on Wall's future school below.

UPDATE, MONDAY, 8 p.m.: After a spirited discussion in the comments section of this post, a message from a user named "Brian Clifton," alluding to Wall's advisor who was cited in the post, was posted with a link to Clifton's official Twitter page.  However, after speaking with Clifton on the phone moments ago, it is clear that the post in fact was not written by Clifton himself.  The comment has been removed, and The Chronicle's Sports Blog regrets any confusion this might have caused.