Tag Archives: Julius Randle

Weekend Preview: Virginia football, Nichols and more

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With Duke football sitting at 4-1 and off to its best start since the 1994 campaign—the last time the Blue Devils reached a bowl game—they are set to take on Virginia Saturday afternoon at Wallace Wade Stadium.

For a video preview with predictions, injury updates and more articles on the game, make sure to visit our Duke-Virginia football event page.

Here is everything else you need to know in the world of Duke sports for the upcoming weekend:

Duke students hung a banner from a West Campus dorm window encouraging others to attend Saturday's football game against Virginia and Duke basketball recruit Austin Nichols to pick the Blue Devils.

For updates all weekend, make sure to follow @chroniclesports on Twitter.

Duke basketball focusing on Parker, Randle and Nichols

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As reported on Friday, the Duke basketball coaching staff was in Chicago for their in-home visit with Jabari Parker, the top-ranked player in the class of 2013.

Parker’s list of prospective schools grew by one last week when he added Connecticut as potential suitor, according to an article by ESPN.com.

This weekend, Parker is expected to make the trip north to visit Michigan State as ESPN’s College Gameday comes to East Lansing for the football team’s showdown with Ohio State.

The next big date for the Duke coaching staff will be October 6 when they host 6-foot-8 power forward Austin Nichols for an official visit.

The Blue Devil coaches’ third target in the class of 2013 is power forward Julius Randle, who completed his in-home visits last week. The 6-foot-9 Texan has already paid a visit to Kentucky, leaving him with four official visits remaining.

Last week, news broke that Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski extended a scholarship offer to Trey Lyles, who decommitted from Indiana last month. The 6-foot-10 forward from Indianapolis recently tweeted a picture of him wearing a Duke sweatshirt with Krzyzewski.

On Sunday night, Kendrick Dunn of RecruitRecon.com tweeted, “The Trey Lyles saga will linger for a minute. Indiana is out! Duke, Kentucky and L’ville will fight for him. I don’t blame Indiana for not.”

Needless to say, it looks like the Duke coaches will fully emerge themselves in Lyles’ recruitment. And in all likelihood, Krzyzewski will try to get Lyles to Durham for an unofficial visit in the near future.

Analysis: Arguably the biggest questions in the college basketball recruiting landscape is whether or not Andrew Wiggins—the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2014—will reclassify to 2013. The dynamic, 6-foot-7 athlete is expected to make a decision soon, according to a recent article by Adam Zagoria of Zag’s Blog.

Current speculation suggests that if Wiggins reclassified, it could affect Duke negatively or positively. If a reclassification were to occur, it could be foreshadowing a commitment to Kentucky. If that scenario comes to fruition, some feel that it could deter Randle from heading to Lexington given that he may not want to share the spotlight with another potential NBA lottery pick. On the flip side, others feel that adding Wiggins in 2013 could make Kentucky a more attractive destination for Randle since Wildcat head coach John Calipari proved this past year that he can effectively feature two lottery picks on the same team.

Furthermore, the Wiggins’ potential reclassification could affect the Kentucky’s pursuit of the Andrew and Aaron Harrison, the No. 2 and No. 4 players overall in the class of 2013 per ESPN.com. If Wiggins decides to move up a year and attend Kentucky, the Harrison twins may then opt for Maryland, which would instantly make the Terps a contender to win the ACC.

Regardless of how much validity these hypothetical scenarios hold, Wiggins’ decision will definitely be something for college basketball fans to watch in the coming weeks.

Chron Chat: Ojeleye, Duke basketball recruiting

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Last week, Duke basketball dded Semi Ojeleye, the No. 38 recruit in the nation according to ESPN.com, to its 2013 recruiting class. And last week, the Blue Devil coaching staff made a number of visits to high-profile recruits. The Chronicle’s recruiting analyst Brady Buck and sports editor Andrew Beaton sat down to discuss where the team stands looking forward. With the top two players in the recruiting class, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle still on the board, Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski could still make big moves with his roster looking forward. Thanks to those who submitted questions to us on twitter @dukebasketball with #AskChron that we address in the chat.

Andrew Beaton: So Brady, were you surprised at all by Semi Ojeleye’s commitment to Duke? And what about the timing?

Semi Ojeleye committed to Mike Krzyzewsi and Duke basketball after an in-home visit Sept. 10.

Brady Buck: I was not surprised at all by the commitment, however, I was not expecting him to give his pledge quite so early. From the onset of this recruitment in the spring, it just always seemed like Ojeleye and Duke were a perfect fit.

AB: And, as @AAbrams asked us on Twitter yesterday, “#AskChron how are we going to steal #1 recruit Jabari Parker”—do you think the addition of another wing player like Ojeleye hurts Duke’s chances at the gem of the 2013 class?

BB: Parker is an elite player and playing time won’t be an issue anywhere he goes. Keep in mind that Krzyzewski utilized a wing-oriented lineup with Team USA this summer, which is what he is likely using as a sales pitch to Parker. Still though, landing Parker will be difficult given that Michigan State seems to be very strong with him.

In reality though, Julius Randle is more of a need than Parker. Don’t you think, Andrew?

AB: I think given Duke’s roster, Randle is a more critical prospect—even without Parker, Duke has no shortage of wing players. Between Rasheed Sulaimon and Alex Murphy and both Rodney Hood and Matt Jones joining the fold next year, Duke should have no problem on the wing. But once Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly graduate this year, Duke will start to look awfully thin up front with just Marshall Plumlee, Josh Hairston and Amile Jefferson.

Also on Twitter, another frontcourt prospect was brought up—Austin Nichols, a 6-foot-8 powerforward and the No. 10 recruit in the nation according to ESPN. @JeremyArnone asked us, “What’s Nichols’ timeframe and where do we stand?”

BB: Absolutely. I see Nichols signing in the early signing period, November. He is set to officially visit Duke the weekend of October 6, which will be his first trip to Durham. With Marcus Lee off the radar, I think Nichols is a must get for Duke given the emptying frontcourt as you alluded to. It sounds like the Blue Devils are in a fist fight with Tennessee to secure Nichols’ commitment.

AB: Is it a tough balance for these programs, in terms of wanting to secure prospects but also wanting to have a shot at the higher end prospects? I think you see that dilemma with both Ojeleye-Parker and potentially Nichols-Randle.

BB: To some degree yes. What complicates the matter further is the fact that Randle and Parker likely won’t make a decision until April. So the Duke coaching staff cannot hold out entirely for Parker and Randle. At the end of the day, Parker and Randle are mutually exclusive in my opinion. And Duke should have room to take Nichols, as well as one of Parker/Randle to round out its 2013 class.

AB: And we may know a lot more about where some of these prospects stand in the coming weeks after a number are scheduled to visit in the coming weeks, including ones beyond the class of 2013.

BB: That’s right. Countdown to Craziness promises to be one of the biggest recruiting weekends of the year with Tyus Jones, the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2014, visiting. Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor and Theo Pinson may also join Jones that weekend in Durham. That’s an impressive guest list.

AB: Are any of those players expected to make commitments before their senior years?

BB: Maybe Pinson, just because he is a North Carolina kid who already has a strong relationship with the Duke and UNC staffs. He’ll likely go to one of those two. Even though none of them are expected to commit in the near future, Duke has a golden opportunity to lay some serious groundwork with four of the best players in the class of 2014 during Countdown to Craziness.

Follow @BradyBuck and @andrewlbeaton on Twitter

Duke to conduct in-home visit with Jabari Parker this week

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Over the course of the past several weeks, it has been relatively quiet on the Jabari Parker recruiting front. The top-ranked player in the class of 2013 was forced to miss a substantial amount of the AAU circuit this summer due to a foot injury and since July he has not publicly spoken to the media much about his recruitment.

Still considered to be among the legitimate contenders to land the smooth 6-foot-8 swingman, Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski will return to his old stomping grounds in Chicago to visit Parker face-to-face on Friday.

Florida, DePaul, Kansas and BYU all reportedly met with Parker last week according to Evan Daniels of scout.com. Aside from the Blue Devil coaching staff, Michigan State and North Carolina will also conduct in-home visits with Parker this week. Stanford will do the same the following week, while Kentucky and Georgetown are also on Parker’s list of prospective schools, but do not have in-home visits scheduled.

Parker has not yet made any sort of indications as to where he will take his five official visits.

Duke’s recent addition of 2013 small forward Semi Ojeleye has raised questions as to whether the Blue Devils have fallen behind in the race for Parker, given the perceived logjam at the wing positions next year with Alex Murphy, Rodney Hood and Ojeleye.

With an equally busy recruiting schedule, Julius Randle—the No. 3 overall player according to ESPN.com—hosted Duke for an in-home visit last week and then took an official visit to Kentucky over the weekend.

In a recent article by Jason Jordan of USA Today High School Sports, Randle’s mother Carolyn Kyles said, “[Krzyzewski is] captivating. He really is. I truly understand why his players love him so much; you can tell that he really cares,” as she recapped the in-home visit with Duke.

The trip to Lexington was Randle’s first official visit. The 6-foot-9 lefty from Dallas will also officially visit Florida on October 6. The remaining three official visits are up for grabs still, however, there have been rumblings that Randle may officially visit North Carolina State for Midnight Madness, but that has not been confirmed.

Duke, meanwhile, is still expected to receive an official visit from Randle, which would likely occur during the basketball season.

According to various reports, Marcus Lee cut Duke from his list of prospective schools last week. The 6-foot-9 power forward is now down to three schools—California, Kentucky and Louisville.

With Lee off the radar, Austin Nichols seemingly becomes a huge priority for the Duke coaches given the emptying Blue Devil frontcourt after this season and the uncertainty of Randle committing to Duke. Nichols—the fifth-ranked power forward according to ESPN.com—will be in Durham for an official visit the weekend of October 6.

As reported last week, Tyus Jones—the top-ranked point guard in the class of 2014—will make his way to Durham for an unofficial visit during Countdown to Craziness.

A few other top-rated 2014 prospects including Jahlil Okafor and local standout Theo Pinson could very well be in attendance with Jones that weekend.

Last week, Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski watched Karl Towns– the consensus top-ranked player in the class of 2015– and Trey Lyles, a five-star 2014 power forward who recently decommitted from Indiana, according to tweets by Adam Zagoria and Clint Jackson, respectively.

In other news: Former Duke target Anthony “Cat” Barber committed to North Carolina State over the weekend. Landing the speedy 6-foot-1 point guard is a huge get for the Wolfpack. Barber is the No.11 overall player in the class of 2013, per ESPN.com.

Ojeleye commits; Duke coaches continue conducting in-home visits

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Semi Ojeleye committed to Mike Krzyzewsi and Duke basketball after an in-home visit Sunday.

Last night Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski secured a commitment from five-star wing Semi Ojeleye. For the full story on the 6-foot-7 wing’s pledge to the Blue Devils, read here.

Tonight, 6-foot-9 power forward Austin Nichols will welcome the Blue Devil coaches for an in-home visit.

The third leg of the Duke coaches’ trip will take place in the Lone Star State as the staff visits Julius Randle (Sept. 11) and his AAU teammate and Blue Devil commit Matt Jones (Sept. 12).

Here’s a complete rundown of Randle’s very busy in-home visit schedule.

As for determining a leader in Randle’s recruitment, ACC recruiting analyst Clint Jackson of rivals.com recently tweeted that Kentucky and Duke are “strong,” while Kansas, North Carolina and Florida are “still very much in the picture.”

On Saturday, Allerik Freeman announced via his twitter account that he has committed to UCLA over Duke, Kansas, Villanova and Ohio State. Freeman, the No. 13 ranked shooting guard in the class of 2013 according to scout.com, held a scholarship offer from the Blue Devil coaching staff. His pledge to the Bruins does not come as much of a surprise considering that Duke seemingly had not been aggressively recruiting Freeman the past few months, which is likely given the Blue Devils’ depth at the position going forward.

Turning to the class of 2014, Tyus Jones, the top point guard in the class, will unofficially visit Duke the weekend of October 19-21 for Countdown to Craziness, according to an article by Josh Paunil of the National Recruiting Spotlight. Sitting at the No. 2 spot overall in the class according to scout.com, Jones will also visit North Carolina while he is in the area.

The 6-foot-1 floor general from Minnesota has been coveted by Krzyzewski and his staff for quite some time. With this being his first trip to Durham, the upcoming visit promises to be a pivotal step for the Blue Devil coaching staff’s attempt to lure Jones to Duke.

With Countdown to Craziness being one of the biggest weekends of the year for the Duke program, Krzyzewski will likely host a few other prospects that weekend in addition to Jones.

Julius Randle announces list of schools

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Today, Julius Randle—the No. 3 overall player in the class of 2013 according to ESPN.com—made his list of 10 schools public. The 6-foot-9 power forward from Dallas tweeted that he is now down to Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Baylor, Texas, Florida, North Carolina State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Randle will likely announce his college decision in the spring, after he takes his five official visits.

Duke basketball has already secured a commitment from Randle’s AAU teammate and good friend, Matt Jones. Based on the emptying Blue Devil frontcourt, Randle is considered by many to be the most important recruit for the Blue Devils in 2013.

This past weekend, Randle was among the standouts at the Under Armour Elite 24 game, scoring a game-high 27 points to win MVP honors, while also winning the dunk contest.

Last week, Dave Telep tweeted, “We have reason to believe that Jabari Parker is on Stanford’s campus today…”

Parker, the consensus top-ranked player in the class of 2013, has still yet to indicate when and where he will be taking official visits. He is, however, expected to do so in the near future.

Following an unofficial visit to Duke last week, all reports indicate that Karl Towns–the No. 1 player in the class of 2015–enjoyed his time in Durham.

Towns tweeted a picture of him with Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski and in another tweet he indicated that he has officially been offered a scholarship by the Duke coaching staff, making him the first player in the class of 2015 to receive a scholarship offer from Krzyzewski.