2011 Recruiting

Duke already has two commitments for the 2011 class in Michael Gbinije and Tyler Adams.

Michael Gbinije
A 6'6" Small Forward Prospect from Benedictine High School in Richmond, VA, Gbinije is known as a smooth and talented baller. His effortless skills on the court have often been confused for a lack of intensity, but he's so under control with little to no wasted motion that it could be just that, confusion. Nevertheless, Mike G. made a wonderful college choice if this is his only knock as the Duke staff commands full effort at all times. Following a short courtship, Gbinije became Duke's first commitment for the 2011 class, and the first recruit targeted by Nate James to sign with Duke.

Tyler Adams
The 6'9" 260lb back to the basket center from Mississippi was Nate James' second commitment and followed Gbinije's path of a short recruitment followed by a commitment to Duke. While raw physically, Tyler is quite a specimen for reportedly (according to him) spending little time in the weight room. Tyler will serve a role at Duke that was crucial to the 2010 run in rebounding and defense, but does not play much above the rim. If you are willing to accept that as his role, you will be very pleased with the contributions of this young man.

Austin Rivers
The ultra-talented shooting guard from Winter Park, Florida has reopened his recruitment recently after committing to the Florida Gators as a high school freshman. Duke is by far the leader for Rivers, but has some competition in UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas, and Texas. All reliable reports have Austin announcing his commitment in August, and as long as the Devils are able to seal the deal, he will join them for at least the 2012 season.

Quincy Miller
Quincy is going to be a serious matchup problem for whoever plays against him in the future. Depending on who you ask, he's anywhere from 6'8"-6'10" but plays like a guard. Standing 5'11" his Freshman year, he hit a chia pet style growth spurt but still maintains his guard skills from when he was shorter. With a solid outside shot, decent handle, and enough size to get his shot up around the rim, he's hard to guard for a SF and too quick for most PFs. Early reports had Duke in a strong position following their Elite Camp last year, but he seems to favor Kentucky more these days. Duke fans should hope for sanctions or the lure of the NBA for Calipari if they want to land "Q".

Anthony Davis
Like Quincy, Anthony had a recent 8 inch growth spurt. His happened a year later though and allowed Davis to stay under the radar until a few solid performances at AAU events earlier this year. With the skills of a guard, but the height of a forward, Davis has been the buzz of the AAU circuit this Summer. The Duke coaching staff is in the evaluation stage with Davis and are very interested in watching his ability to adjust to his new body.

Amir Williams
As you can see from the last two players mentioned, Power Forward is a position of importance for the 2011 recruiting class. Amir is a very talented, 6'9", 210 lbs post player from Detroit Country Day High School (former school of Shane Battier.) The staff is high on Amir and he believes he has a committable offer from Duke to play basketball. My sources tell me he has not been officially offered, but they would not turn him down if he wanted to commit, so maybe he does...

Chasson Randle
Chasson is a 2011 guard that reminds us a little of Nolan Smith. He's been compared to a number of past Duke guards and we can see a little of all of them (Sean Dockery, Daniel Ewing, Chris Duhon.) His versatility is something the staff is looking for in a number of their new prospects as he would be able to play either guard position in college. In the AAU games we saw him play this Summer, he tended to defer to his teammates a little more than we would have liked, but he is very talented. Not to mention, he's #1 in his High School class academically. Sounds like a Duke kid to us...