Even with the announcement of Mike Krzyzewski’s impending retirement, Duke continues to assert itself in recruiting for the class of 2022. The Duke staff has made six offers so far for Jon Scheyer’s inaugural season as head coach, four of whom visited campus in June. The Blue Zone takes a look:
Dariq Whitehead (No. 6, F, 2022)
At No. 6 on the 2022 ESPN 100, forward Dariq Whitehead is the highest-ranked recruit in his class to visit Duke and the first to hear Head-Coach-in-Waiting Jon Scheyer’s recruiting pitch on campus. The Newark, N.J. native stands six feet six inches and is known for his smooth scoring ability and defensive prowess on the wing. Just three days after his June 11 Duke visit, he traveled down to Tallahassee to check out the Florida State Seminoles program, but it seems as though he’s leaning towards college in Durham with both 247Sports and Rivals predicting in Duke’s favor. Whitehead announced on Twitter Thursday that he would make his decision on August 1, 2021, so it won’t be long before Blue Devil faithful know if they can look forward to this exciting recruit.
Dereck Lively II (No. 10, C, 2022)
Standing an inch over seven feet, Dereck Lively wreaks havoc in the paint for Westtown School in West Chester, Pa., the same high school that produced 2018-19 forward Cam Reddish. Lively is the highest-ranked seven-footer in the 2022 ESPN 100 and would bring a much-needed inside presence to the Blue Devils. The center seems to have an affinity for blue blood programs, visiting Kentucky and North Carolina before he visited Duke on June 29, though it is still too early to tell where he will ultimately end up.
Mark Mitchell (No. 19, F, 2022)
Mark Mitchell is a lengthy forward capable of putting up quality numbers at either forward spot. At 6-foot-8, he has above average size for his position at the college level and is known for his interior scoring and defensive abilities. Prior to his June 28 trip to Durham, Mitchell also made his way to UCLA, Kansas, and Missouri to gain some insight into their programs.
Kyle Filipowski (No. 20, PF, 2022)
Filipowski has generational size at the power forward spot but can also bang down low with the best centers in college basketball. At 6-foot-11, he’s more than big enough to handle the interior scorers of the ACC. Filipowski made his way around the east coast last month, visiting basketball programs at Ohio State, Syracuse and Indiana before his Duke visit on June 28, but early predictions from 247Sports and Rivals have him landing at Duke.
The Blue Devils’ recruiting team also made offers to two guards: JJ Starling from La Lumiere School in Indiana and Anthony Black from Coppell High School in Texas, both of whom are top 40 recruits in the class of 2022. With Scheyer at the helm, it remains to be seen whether or not the top high school players in the country will commit to Duke, however Scheyer has recruited some of Duke’s biggest names over the years and the recently announced name, image and likeness (NIL) policy changes should only help the one of the biggest brands in college sports come 2022. As Blue Devil fans look towards their first season without Mike Krzyzewski since 1980, they can remain optimistic about the team’s chances as top talent continues to visit campus.
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