The 2012 off-season has been one to forget so far for the Blue Devils with the transfer of Michael Gbinije, Andre Dawkins’ uncertain status and missing out on prized 2012 recruits Shabazz Muhammad and Tony Parker. On Tuesday night, however, Duke found some much-needed solace when forward Amile Jefferson committed to the Blue Devils instead of N.C. State, Kentucky or Villanova, among others.
“In the end, the Duke academics won him over along with [head coach Mike Krzyzewski],” said ACC recruiting analyst Clint Jackson of Rivals.com.
Jefferson—the No. 25 player in the class of 2012 according to ESPN.com—adds Duke a second body to Duke’s recruiting class that also features guard Rasheed Sulaimon. Coming from an academically rigorous private school in the Philadelphia area, Jefferson fits the mold of many Duke players, valuing school work equally as much as basketball.
“A lot of kids talk about academics, and lot of these kids say it to be politically correct or to sound good in interviews,” Jackson said. “And with Amile Jefferson, he actually meant it.”
On the court, the 6-foot-8 Jefferson’s game is not flashy, but he makes up for his lanky 190-lb. frame with a strong work ethic and elite rebounding skills.
“I’m a big fan of Amile Jefferson,” Jackson said. “He doesn’t fit any sort of prototype. He’s just a crafty, smart player.”
Although Jefferson always had an affinity for Duke, the Blue Devil coaching staff had been less consistent in their pursuit of the Friends Central high school product. Duke expressed considerable interest in Jefferson earlier in his high school career and invited him to Countdown to Craziness in 2011. Over the ensuing months, though, Blue Devil coaches’ interest began to fade as they opted to pursue other forwards in the class of 2012.
After being spurned by Mitch McGary last fall and as Tony Parker began to drag out his recruitment after officially visiting Durham in October, the Duke staff reentered Jefferson’s recruitment. The Blue Devils hosted Jefferson for an unofficial visit during the North Carolina game March 3. After that, many college basketball fans and recruiting analysts expected Jefferson to commit to Duke.
N.C. State, however, still coveted the forward, and head coach Mark Gottfried had been on Jefferson for much longer than the Blue Devil coaches. The Wolfpack’s postseason success in March in addition to their top-five 2012 recruiting class made N.C. State a very attractive option for Jefferson.
Reigning national champion Kentucky also recruited Jefferson with more intensity recently after losing six players to the draft and seeing top targets Muhammad and Anthony Bennett go elsewhere. In the end, the Wildcats may have withdrawn themselves from the Jefferson sweepstakes to pursue Virginia Tech signee Montrezl Harrell, who is seeking to be released from his letter of intent after the dismissal of Hokie head coach Seth Greenberg.
Duke, more than any other school, presented the most logical match for Jefferson, especially given the departures of Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly after the 2012-13 season.
“[Jefferson] has got the potential to possibly start next year and if not then be a good role player,” Jackson said.
And Jefferson’s commitment gives the program some positive buzz going into a big summer of recruiting for Krzyzewski and his staff.
“The whiffs that they had on Shabazz Muhammad, Mitch McGary and Tony Parker probably hurt a lot, so grabbing a kid this late like Amile Jefferson is huge for Duke,” Jackson said. “And [it] definitely brings their momentum back on the recruiting trail for 2013.”
Brady Buck also contributes to rivals.com
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