That didn't take long.
Just two days after he announced publicly that he had received a Duke offer, four-star shooting guard Alex O'Connell is expected to become the first Class of 2017 prospect to commit to the Blue Devils, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported Friday afternoon.
2017 guard Alex O'Connell is expected to commit to Duke, sources told @CBSSports. 4-star prospect.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 26, 2016
Scout confirmed the report later Friday, and O'Connell announced his decision on Twitter.
Excited to officially announce my commitment to Duke University! ⚪️ #BlueDevils pic.twitter.com/wOgY8Mdbqz
— Alex O'Conne11 (@Alex_OC11) August 26, 2016
O'Connell's dad, David, played at Duke from 1973-76. According to ESPN, the younger O'Connell is the 88th-best player in the Class of 2017. The Milton, Ga., native turned down offers from Louisville, Syracuse and UCLA, among others, to join his father's alma matter.
The 6-foot-5 prospect is known as a good jump shooter, and if he eventually commits to the Blue Devils, he could help offset the losses of senior Matt Jones and Grayson Allen in 2017-18, assuming Allen turns pro after graduating in three years if he sticks to his current academic plan.
O'Connell has the length and athleticism to excel at the two and the three and can also finish strong near the basket. The high school senior averaged 22 points per game last season for Milton High School.
Analysts at 247sports think Duke is just getting started with landing top 100 players. They have the Blue Devils in good shape to land five-star point guard Quade Green, five-star shooting guard Gary Trent, Jr., five-star wing Kevin Knox and five-star big men Wendell Carter and Mohamed Bamba.
The Blue Devils are also expected to eventually land four-star center Deng Gak and recently-offered four star wing Jermaine Samuels, though projections will likely change as players start committing in the coming months.
Check back in with the Blue Zone for all your Duke men's basketball recruiting news.
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