A year ago, at his retirement press conference Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski made it clear that he wouldn’t be recruiting players that he wouldn’t be coaching, and as a result new Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff went to work all last summer.
In the end, the Blue Devils reeled in three players ranked in the top five of the SI99, four in the top 15 and, arguably, the country’s top marksman.
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"It’s definitely important, and the way our recruiting has worked, we need big classes every year,” Scheyer told SI last June when he was announced as the Blue Devils’ coach in waiting. “I’m very excited about the prospects of this class.”
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Arkansas coach Eric Musselman boasts a deep and talented six-man class headlined by Nick Smith Jr., the No. 2 overall player in the SI99. Kansas rounded out the top three with their SI99-rich class led by Gradey Dick, ranked No. 7 overall, and MJ Rice, ranked No. 9.
Here’s how the rest of the team rankings shook out.
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1. Duke
Key Commits: Dereck Lively, Dariq Whitehead, Jaden Schutt, Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell, Christian Reeves.
2. Arkansas
Key Commits: Nick Smith Jr., Jordan Walsh, Barry Dunning, Derrian Ford, Joseph Pinion, Anthony Black.
3. Kansas
Key Commits: MJ Rice, Gradey Dick, Ernest Udeh Jr., Zuby Ijiofor.
4. Alabama
Key Commits: Jaden Bradley, Noah Clowney, Brandon Miller, Rylan Griffen.
5. Indiana
Key Commits: Jalen Hood-Schifino, CJ Gunn, Kaleb Banks, Malik Reneau.
6. USC
Key Commits: Kijani Wright, Vince Iwuchukwu, Oziyah Sellers, Tre White.
7. Ohio State
Key Commits: Bowen Hardman, Felix Okpara, Roddy Gayle Jr., Brice Sensabaugh, Bruce Thornton.
7. UCLA
Key Commits: Amari Bailey, Adem Bona, Dylan Andrews.
8. Texas
Key Commits: Arterio Morris, Dillon Mitchell, Rowan Brumbaugh.
9. Illinois
Key Commits: Ty Rodgers, Skyy Clark, Sencire Harris, Jayden Epps.
10. North Carolina
Key Commits: Seth Trimble, Tyler Nickel, Jalen Washington.
11. Michigan
Key Commits: Dug McDaniel, Gregg Glenn, Tarris Reed, Jett Howard.
12. Kentucky
Key Commits: Cason Wallace, Chris Livingston.
13. Auburn
Key Commits: Chance Westry, Yohan Traore, Tre Donaldson.
14. Syracuse
Key Commits: Judah Mintz, Peter Carey, Maliq Brown, Quadir Copeland, Justin Taylor, Chris Bunch.
15. Oregon
Key Commits: Kel’el Ware, Dior Johnson.
16. Virginia
Key Commits: Ryan Dunn, Leon Bond, Isaac McNeely, Isaac Traudt.
17. Houston
Key Commits: Terrance Arceneaux, Jarace Walker.
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18. Villanova
Key Commits: Mark Armstrong, Cam Whitmore, Brendan Hausen.
19. Notre Dame
Key Commits: JJ Starling, Ven-Allen Lubin, Dom Campbell.
20. Miami
Key Commits: AJ Casey, Favour Aire, Christian Watson, Danilo Jovanovich.
21. Florida State
Key Commits: Cameron Corhen, De’Ante Green, Chandler Jackson, Tom House, Jeremiah Bembry, Alaaeddine Boutayeb.
22. Vanderbilt
Key Commits: Lee Dort, Noah Shelby, Malik Dia, Colin Smith, Paul Lewis.
24. Penn State
Key Commits: Kanye Clary, Demetrius Lilley, Evan Mahaffey, Jameel Brown, Kebba Njie.
