Recruiting is beginning to heat up for Duke basketball

It’s been a good amount of time since Duke basketball recruiting felt this way. The COVID-19 pandemic really slowed things down for a long time due to restrictions on visits, the entire AAU scene being cancelled and very little other activity.

This has now given way to a more exciting May and anticipation of June events. Some top juniors are now strongly on the recruiting radar for the Duke staff, official visits are being planned and blueblood wars are shaping up again for this talented crop of 2022 stars.

Simply put, as a veteran recruiting analyst, who has done this for nearly 25 years, it feels somewhat normal again. And that’s a great thing.

Here’s a rundown of some movement and happenings on the recruiting trail.

First things first, official on-campus visits are back. And this is probably the most exciting thing to report. The Duke staff will fly in several coveted juniors for all expense paid visits to Durham. And these are confirmed.

As DI reported last week, Kyle Filipowski and his family will board flights to come spend some time on campus. The skilled and versatile big man from New England will visit on June 28 to get a feel for the program.

On the phone, he seemed excited about the trip and Duke checks all of the boxes for what we qualified as important with the 6-foot-11 big man. He’s looking to play at the highest level and aspires to play his college hoops into late March and early April.

Mark Mitchell is also planning a trip to Durham. The terrific wing forward from the midwest is one of the most skilled forwards in his class and he’s been compared to Harrison Barnes, who Duke recruited heavily before losing him to North Carolina.

Mitchell is a 6-foot-7 playmaker who can score and play all over the floor. The No. 9 ranked player in his class, he’s a big blueblood target and the Blue Devils will have to slug it out with Kansas, UCLA, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Missouri and a host of others. But getting him on campus is a big-time chance for Mike Krzyzewski, Jon Scheyer, Chris Carrawell and Nolan Smith to get a great pulse with him.

Dariq Whitehead, a super athletic scorer who is currently at Montverde Academy in Florida, is also coming to visit on June 11. The explosive and quick wing is someone who the staff at DI has seen several times and we love his game. The long-armed forward has that diverse game, basically the guard’s game in a long forward’s body, that Duke tends to love.

He’s a big-time finisher and moves his feet quickly for his size. He thrives attacking the basket and has started to get a bit stronger which will help him on the next level. The five-star is elite and a definite top 10 player.

Some other names that Devils Illustrated is tracking and following closely include several who have been in contact with Duke and we should see visits scheduled soon.

Dereck Lively is one of the most exciting players to watch in 2022. The 7-footer is extremely mobile and fluid and loves to block shots, run the floor like a scalded dog and he flushes anything he gets his hands on inside, with super quick reflexes. His ability to stretch the floor with an accurate jumper only helps his game. Lively is in regular contact with Duke and the staff loves him.

Jazian Gortman and Nick Smith are two that the staff is showing genuine and sincere interest in as well.

Gortman, from Columbia, S.C., is a five-star point guard who can really score from his position. And Smith, a long 6-foot-5 point guard from Arkansas, may be elevated to five-star status soon and the bluebloods are all over him.

Finally, it’s starting to feel like recruiting is back to life and Duke is making a lot of moves on the trail.