Jahlil Okafor—the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2014, according to ESPN—is picking Duke to win the NCAA Tournament.
In a Wed. USA Today article, Okafor talked about his rationale behind selecting the Blue Devils: “Duke. I just feel like they have the pieces this year. They have a great big man in Mason Plumlee and a tough backcourt with Quinn Cook and Seth Curry. Not to mention Ryan Kelly, who is just an animal. Then Rasheed Sulaimon too. I’m taking Duke.”
The 6-foot-10 post from Chicago—who is known for his terrific hands, impeccable footwork and NBA-caliber size—is considering Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan State, Arizona, and Kentucky, among others.
Will Okafor pick the Blue Devils as his college destination this fall? This remains to be seen. The Duke coaching staff is considered to be in a very strong position with Okafor and his close friend Tyus Jones—the top-ranked point guard in the class of 2014.
Jones and Okafor have made it clear on numerous occasions that they would like to play together at the next level.
The two took an unofficial visit to Duke for Countdown to Craziness in October.
On the AAU circuit, Okafor has played with 2013 Duke commit Jabari Parker on the Mac Irvin Fire.
Okafor is a very important recruit for Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff given Okafor's immense talent at a position that is at a premium—center. Duke has struggled to lure elite big men to Durham recently and could really use an impact big man to help change the image of the program a bit.
Dallas native Elijah Thomas—an elite big man in the class of 2015 who is considering Duke—had the Blue Devils in the Final Four.
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