The Blue Devils still await the decision of one of the biggest prizes left in the Class of 2016, but Duke’s coaching staff is already hard at work in building its recruiting classes for the next couple of years.
Five-star center Marques Bolden is still deciding between Duke and Kentucky, two weeks after his initial self-imposed deadline of his April 17 birthday has passed. Whichever school he chooses would likely lock up the nation’s top recruiting class heading into next season, and Bolden is one of just six players in ESPN’s top 100 in the 2016 class that remain uncommitted.
As the 6-foot-10 center’s decision process drags on, future Blue Devil Jayson Tatum—ESPN’s third-ranked recruit—made his pitch for Bolden to join him in Durham next year.
The Blue Devils also offered scholarships to multiple recruits in upcoming classes. A week after five-star shooting guard Hamidou Diallo and four-star point guard Tremont Waters from this year's junior class received offers from head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke made a push to bolster its future frontcourt in the Class of 2017 with a scholarship offer to 6-foot-10 four-star forward Deng Gak, recruiting analyst Pat Lawless reported Thursday.
Deng Gak, a class of 2017 Center playing for the PSA Cardinals (NY), tells me he just picked up an offer from Duke.
— Pat Lawless (@PatLawless_) April 29, 2016
Gak is the No. 54 player in the Class of 2017, according to ESPN’s rankings.
Duke has also extended several offers to players in the 2018 class—including four-star shooting guard Romeo Langford last week—and Krzyzewski made a splash this week by offering a scholarship to five-star Cameron Reddish.
Duke offered ⚪️ #GoBlueDevils
— Killa⚡️ (@creddish__xxii) April 26, 2016
The 6-foot-7 forward is currently the seventh-ranked player in his class.
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