Kyrie Irving picks Duke
Words. Jason Jordan
In the end, the lure to have the ball in his hands from Day One at one of college basketball’s most storied programs was too much to turn down, as St. Patrick High (N.J.) point guard Kyrie Irving picked Duke today over Kentucky and Texas A&M live on ESPNU.
“I’ll be a Blue Devil next year,” Irving told ESPNU. “It was just my relationship with him (Coach Mike Krzyzewski) and the whole coaching staff. I have a great relationship with everybody. When I went on my official visit it felt like home. It’s the place for me.”
The logic was simple: Kentucky had the history, but with point guard Eric Bledsoe still there if (when) John Wall leaves after this season, there was no clear path for Irving to play big minutes. Texas A&M could offer unlimited time, but frankly, the Aggies’ stage wasn’t big enough.
That left Duke, who was eager to put the ball in Irving’s hands from Day One and offer one of, if not the biggest, stages in college basketball.
Irving, a 6-2 senior, is easily Duke’s best point guard recruit since the Blue Devils landed Chris Duhon in 2000, and it’s not close. (See: Sean Dockery and Greg Paulus). Most agree that Irving is a probable NBA player because of his speed and quickness, ball handling and scoring ability, and his crafty passing skills. Irving has great court savvy and understands tempo control depending on the on-court situation, which will allow Krzyzewski to implore his beloved “play off of your instincts” strategy.
“He’s a great point guard,” said one Western Conference NBA scout. “He’s really tough and he’s got a high basketball IQ. At the (Nike) Global Challenge this summer, he was the best point guard there, and being at Duke will help him get even better. He’s got a good chance of going to the NBA.”
Irving, rated the No. 6 prospect in the HighSchoolHoop Top 50, joins Montrose Christian Academy (Rockville, Md.) forward Joshua Hairston and Gonzaga College High (Washington, D.C.) point guard Tyler Thornton to form Duke’s 2010 recruiting class thus far.
We’d heard that Irving was planning to go to Durham this weekend to try and help lure Ames High (Iowa) swingman Harrison Barnes, HSH’s top prospect who will be on an official visit, but Irving won’t make the trip after all.
“I’ll let the Duke coaching staff handle that,” Irving went on to say. “Harrison, he’s like a big brother to me and we talk all the time. He’s his own man and he’s gonna make his own decision. Whatever decision he makes, I’m gonna be happy for him.”
Sean Dockery was pretty much hyped coming out of HS. ok, he didn’t live up to the hype, but still, he was a pretty great hs pg!!!
Kyrie will be a great player at Duke. I can’t wait to see him suit up in Cameron next year! He’s going to be a star.
[...] even the mild ACC fan has heard the name Harrison Barnes. After committing on Thursday, Kyrie told Highschoolhoop: “Harrison, he’s like a big brother to me and we talk all the time. He’s his own man and [...]