Tatum, Carter Jr. among handful of talented recruits at Countdown to Craziness

After bringing in the top ranked recruiting class in back-to-back seasons, the allure of playing at Duke is as strong as ever. 

Watching another national championship banner being unveiled in the rafters makes it all the more appealing.

Highly-touted recruits from the Classes of 2016, 2017 and 2018 dotted the bleachers next to and behind the Duke bench at the Blue Devils' annual Countdown to Craziness event Saturday night. The collection of prospects featured Duke commits Jayson Tatum and Javin DeLaurier along with a slew of uncommitted high-school talents.The Cameron Crazies took advantage of their shot to impress recruits by showing their love for Tatum, the second-ranked player in the Class of 2016. The future Blue Devil heeded fans' requests to join the student section just before the men's basketball team was introduced to the crowd. The St. Louis native is Duke's most highly-touted commit after announcing his decision to take his talents to Durham in July. 

Class of 2017 shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. and power forward Wendell Carter Jr. were also in attendance Saturday, and both eventually made their way into the stands to join the Crazies as well. Carter is the second-ranked prospect in the 2017 ESPN 60 with Trent Jr. close behind at No. 9. Trent Jr. currently holds offers from powerhouse programs including Kansas and Michigan State. Carter also holds offers from top programs including Kansas and Kentucky and is a top target for teams due to his intimidating, game-altering presence with a wingspan of more than seven feet.

In hopes of making an early impact on future recruits, the Blue Devils also hosted Class of 2018 prospects Tre Jones and Immanuel Quickley. Jones—the younger brother of 2015 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tyus Jones—recently received an offer from the program and appears interested in following in his brother's footsteps at Duke. Although Quickley is more of an unknown at this point, the Blue Devil point guard position could be in flux in the future depending on how long freshman floor general Derryck Thornton and Class of 2016 commit Frank Jackson decide to stay at Duke.