Blue Devils land Vernon Carey
Vernon Carey is a Duke Blue Devil. The nation’s No. 1 rated prospect ended all the speculation this afternoon, when he chose the Blue Devils over Michigan State and North Carolina.
"After a lot of consideration, I’ll be attending the Brotherhood," Carey said on national television.
Carey’s recruitment was a bit of a whirlwind for a while, with Duke and Michigan State tugging back and forth in the battle.
In the end, though, Carey went with the program he’s adored throughout the process and even before. He chose the program he saw Marvin Bagley III shine in just one year ago. And though Carey is a much bigger body than Bagley, he sees some similarities in their games.
As a result, he ultimately saw a blueprint for what his Duke career could look like.
“There was a time where we lost some confidence that Duke would land him,” Devils Illustrated recruiting analyst Clint Jackson said. “Some of the momentum swung back towards Michigan State, or at least if felt that way. But Duke’s pitch to let Carey play inside and outside really resonated with the big 6-foot-10 power forward. I believe the way that Mike Krzyzewski utilized Marvin Bagley last season really showed Carey that he could be successful all over the court.”
At 6-foot-10, 275-pounds, Carey gives Duke a powerful low post presence in the class, joining versatile wing Wendell Moore and sharpshooting Boogie Ellis.
He also provides the Blue Devils with a versatile big that can do damage on the block and also facing up. Although his most dynamic skill set resides in attacking the rim, defenses will have to respect his ability to shoot the basketball.
“I think we will see times where Carey will be set up to score on the low block, using his size, strength and skill,” Jackson noted. “And then there will be times where he will have spacing facing the basket from 15-20 feet where he can drive, spin and attack the rim as well. And he will shoot some threes from the arc as well.”
While the upside of Carey is unquestionable, there have been instances where he was not the dominant, effort-driven player most would attach the No. 1 ranking with. This was particularly noted during the EYBL circuit last spring in Hampton, Va.
Those moments, however, are much fewer than those in which he demonstrates an ability to completely take over a game. Despite his noted tendency to coast during that EYBL event, Carey certainly put those concerns to rest for coaches with his play since.
“I have seen him absolutely dominate a game and I’ve seen him check-out mentally as well,” Jackson said. “The good thing is that I haven’t seen him do the latter in quite a while. I think nutrition habits will also be huge for Carey. He’s got a tendency to let his weight fluctuate. He will need to be disciplined and stay as lean and strong as he can.”
That said, Duke lands yet another powerhouse talent in Carey.
The Blue Devils got off to a slow start in landing talent for the class of 2019, but as expected Mike Krzyzewski and his staff have rebounded nicely through the late fall months.
Jackson, like many others, believes Duke ultimately added a huge presence to its class.
“I think he is a terrific talent,” he said. “He’s a big, broad shouldered forward who can play at 260-275 pounds and he’s still quick and explosive. He has great strength and power and very good quickness, athleticism and ball skills.”