The next time Harry Giles takes the floor, the dominant power forward will be sporting a college jersey instead of Oak Hill Academy's uniform.
The top-ranked recruit in the 2016 ESPN 100 partially tore his right ACL Tuesday night and will miss the remainder of his high school season. Originally scheduled to announce his college decision Nov. 12, Giles is now prepared to announce his future home tomorrow at noon.
ESPN 100 2016 No. 1 recruit Harry Giles (Oak Hill) tore right ACL on Tuesday; schools he's considering: Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Wake Forest
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2015
Father of top ESPN 100 2016 recruit Harry Giles (partially torn right ACL) says son will reveal college choice at noon Fri. on SportsCenter
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 5, 2015
Earlier in his high school career, Giles missed his sophomore season after tearing both his ACL and MCL in his left knee while playing for the United States U-16 team. But the 6-foot-10 power forward remained one of the best high school players in the nation following his injury as he averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds per game for Wesleyan Christian Academy. Giles transferred to high school basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy for his senior season, but will not have the chance to take the floor for his new team.
With Giles set to announce his decision within the next 24 hours, it appears that the Winston-Salem, N.C., native is deciding between Duke, Kansas and Wake Forest. Giles was recently in attendance for the Blue Devils exhibition matchup against Florida Southern and had the chance to take in the action with the Cameron Crazies during the second half.
The high school senior's decision will be a huge one for the Blue Devils who already have commitments from forward Jayson Tatum, point guard Frank Jackson and forward Javin Delaurier. Duke is heavily favored to land the highly touted prospect, who some have compared to a young version of Kevin Garnett. If the Blue Devils can land one Giles in tandem with Tatum—a duo that has experience playing together in USA Basketball—the team would likely finish with one of the top-ranked recruiting classes for the third consecutive season.
Stay tuned with the Blue Zone's recruiting coverage as Giles gets set to commit tomorrow.
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