Duke reaches out to new 2012 bigs

A light game schedule in December and early January gave the Duke coaching staff several opportunities to further evaluate and recruit their 2012, 2013 and 2014 prospects.

In 2012 recruiting, there are no groundbreaking developments in Tony Parker’s recruitment. The Georgia product continues to weigh his college options, though Kentucky has recently entered Parker’s recruitment and has reportedly offered him a scholarship. Parker’s close friend and AAU teammate, Alex Poythress, has already signed with Kentucky. Ohio State is still thought to be the leader for the five-star big man’s services.

In light of Parker’s unexpectedly drawn out recruitment, Duke has begun recruiting other 2012 big men as well. Ricardo Gathers and Amile Jefferson are now on Duke’s radar. Even though both play the power forward position, the two play very different styles. Gathers is a powerful 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward with a DeJaun Blair-type game. The Reserve, Louisiana product is the eighth-ranked power forward in the class of 2012 according to scout.com. Duke coaches watched Gathers at the City of Palms basketball tournament last month. Gathers is also considering LSU, Kentucky, Memphis, Connecticut and Syracuse.

The Blue Devils were actively recruiting Jefferson—a 6-foot-9, 200 pound forward—about a year ago as he attended Countdown to Craziness in 2010, but Duke’s interest faded as they started to heavily pursue Tony Parker and Mitch McGary. The five-star combo forward is an athletic big man with terrific length and defensive prowess. Given his thin stature, Jefferson will need to become stronger for the next level, but Jefferson’s versatility and skill set makes him an intriguing prospect. Jefferson is also considering North Carolina State, Kentucky, Villanova, Ohio State, Connecticut, Temple and Maryland. According to Clint Jackson of rivals.com, interest between Duke and Jefferson appears to be mutual and Duke has reportedly offered the Philadelphia native a scholarship. According to NBE Basketball, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski watched Jefferson play Tuesday night.

Shabazz Muhammad’s recruitment has slowed down as his high school team, Bishop Gorman, reaches the heart of their schedule. Muhammad is set to officially visit Duke for the Duke-UNC game on March 3rd.  Kentucky, UCLA, UNLV and Kansas are also vying for the top ranked player in 2012.

Julius Randle—the second-ranked player in 2013 according to ESPN—attended the Duke-Penn game on January 1st, while his high school team, Prestonwood Christian Academy, competed in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Randle also visited North Carolina and North Carolina State during his stint on the east coast. Randle’s recruitment will likely come down to the blue blood programs—North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and Kansas. Randle will likely not decide until the fall.

In attendance with Randle were two of the top guards in the class of 2014, Theo Pinson and JaQuel Richmond, who play together at Wesleyan Christian Academy in Greensboro and also on the AAU circuit with the CP3 All Stars. Duke coaches recently watched Pinson and Richmond at the Holiday Invitational Tournament in Raleigh. Pinson is set to visit for the Duke-UNC game on March 3^rd.

Duke coaches also watched Chicago natives Jahlil Okafor and Jabari Parker over the past month. Alhough still very much in the recruiting processes, Duke is thought to be in good shape with both players. Okafor lists Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan State, among others, as possible suitors. Parker is considering Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas, Illinois and Washington.