With the signings of Derryck Thornton and Brandon Ingram, Duke once again has the top recruiting class in the country.
Both incoming freshmen recently penned their letter of intents to join the Blue Devils this season, officially giving head coach Mike Krzyzewski four recruits ranked in the top 25 of the ESPN 100.
Thornton and Ingram join big man Chase Jeter, sharp-shooter Luke Kennard, center Antonio Vrankovic and forward Justin Robinson as the six member's of this year's class.
"We're ecstatic about our recruiting class,” Krzyzewski said in a press release. “We addressed our team needs in the number of players, with losing four of our eight scholarship players, but also by bringing in a variety of talents. On the perimeter, the explosive scoring and the ball-handling that we have coming in is sensational. We have an outstanding point guard, a tremendous scorer and passer in [Luke] Kennard, the versatility of Ingram, the ability of Jeter to play both big-guy positions, and then the developing big guy in Vrankovic gives us one of the most well-rounded classes and talented classes that we've had the opportunity to bring in here at Duke."
Just a few weeks removed from the fifth national title in program history, Duke's trio of freshman starters—Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow—declared for the NBA draft, leaving the Blue Devils with just four scholarship players who saw time this season, plus the addition of now-eligible Rice transfer Sean Obi.
The most pressing concern for Duke was the point guard spot, which sat vacant after Jones declared and senior captain Quinn Cook graduated. But Krzyzewski was able to earn a commitment from Thornton, who reclassified from the Class of 2016 to do so.
"Not everyone that handles it has to be a point guard, but Derryck [Thornton] is a true point guard,” Krzyzewski said. “His ability to pressure the ball is impressive. Really, I think he does that as well as anybody I've seen in high school basketball in the next two classes. And then he's a pass-first guard. He can pressure the ball on defense, but he can put pressure on you offensively by bringing it up quickly and then getting by people to get some easy baskets for us."
With Thornton, committed, all eyes turned to Ingram, the No. 3 player in the class according to ESPN. The athletic 6-foot-9 committed to Duke at a ceremony at his high school, where he led his team to four straight North Carolina state titles.
"In Brandon's case, his ability to handle the ball as a 6-9 player and not just handle it, he could really be like a point guard,” Krzyzewski said. “Because he's [6-foot-9] with a [7-foot-3] wingspan, he can play big, too. The versatility that he has, his intelligence and his ability to score from all those positions, or help others score, make him a very multi-dimensional player."
The six-man class will join Obi, redshirt senior Marshall Plumlee, senior Amile Jefferson, junior Matt Jones, sophomore Grayson Allen and walk-on Nick Pagliuca as the Blue Devils look to defend their national title.
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