When Zion Williamson lifted up his hat to reveal a big blue ‘D’ embellished on the front, the nation was shocked. Duke Men's Basketball was stacked. The top-ranked undecided senior revealed on ESPN2 Saturday evening that he has verbally committed to the Blue Devils, joining No.1 ranked Cam Reddish and No.2 RJ Barrett.
Also committed to Duke University is point guard Tre Jones, the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2018 class, giving Duke a quartet of incoming talents. Zion’s decision was a surprise to many, with many thinking the South Carolina native would choose Clemson or Kentucky. 85 percent of recruiting experts predicted Williamson would choose Clemson, with only 4 percent choosing Duke, according to 247sport's Crystal Ball.
However, head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the ‘esteemed Brotherhood’ proved too tempting. "Duke stood out because the Brotherhood represents a family," Williamson said. "Coach K, he's just the most legendary coach to ever coach college basketball. I feel like going to Duke University I can learn a lot from him during my time there. Like I said, the Brotherhood represents family, and I'm all about family."
The 6-6 power forward is a ‘living, breathing highlight reel’ and one of the most gifted young athletes in the nation. The games are almost always sold out, with NBA stars like James Harden and Baron Davis among others in attendance. His dunks have gone viral and his athletic ability and versatility have been compared to Lebron James.
It’s possible that this recruiting class could be the best ever in college basketball history. The three top-ranked players entering – No. 1 Reddish, No. 2 Barrett, and No. 3 Williamson complement each other with their talent and versatility. All three are 6-7 or shorter and can handle the basketball extremely well.
Reddish can easily play the two, three and four at the college level on both sides of the court. He’s a high-level scorer and his length makes him an elite defender. Barrett legitimately can play the one, two and three on both ends of the court. He has outstanding size, length, athleticism, and skill.
While he’s probably best as a scorer, Barrett is a big-time passer who at worst can be a secondary ball handler. Reddish and Barrett is just an ideal college wing duo.
Then you have Williamson, one of the most exciting and versatile prospects in recent high school basketball memory. Williamson will be able to play the forward and center position (a la Draymond Green) in college given his freak athleticism, toughness, and size.
There will be a lot of alley-oops to Williamson from the three guards, and a lot of sold-out crowds on the road too. The decisions strengthen Duke’s reputation as the best recruiting school in the nation who annually compete with Kentucky on coveting 5-star players. But with this upcoming class, there is no doubt on who has the upper hand and Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils aren't done recruiting.