Okafor Jones choose Duke
Duke basketball got the news its been waiting on for quite some time Friday when the No. 1 and No. 5 players in the country, Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, announced on national television they will be joining head coach Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils' basketball team for the 2014-15 season.
Okafor and Jones have long been considered a package deal, and while such plans are discussed often in the college landscape, they are rarely followed through.
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This time the plans were held intact when the two elite prospects simultaneously informed the college basketball world of their decisions.
"With Duke I felt more comfortable going to play with the winningest coach in college basketball," Jahlil Okafor said.
Okafor, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center from Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young High School, has long been considered one of the best post prospects in the nation.
Jones, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound recruit from Apple Valley (Minn.) High School, is labeled as the No. 2 point guard in the country, and in some minds is considered the top prospect at the position.
He had this to say about Duke.
"We felt Duke was the right fit for ourselves and we could succeed," Jones said on national television just moments after choosing the Blue Devils.
What does that mean?
It means the Blue Devils just grabbed two prospects that immediately jump Duke to the top of the national recruiting rankings.
So, why did they choose Duke?
"He's a legend. He's coached for many years. He's arguably the greatest coach of all time. He has a great basketball mind ..."
Their decision basically came down to Duke and Kansas, who recently battled on the hardwood in Chicago. The Jayhawks came out on top in that one, but Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils won in a fight that has gone on since the two were targeted as elite talents.
Okafor and Jones join Grayson Allen, the No. 34 ranked player in the country, as commitments for the class of 2014.