
A shockwave was sent through the college basketball recruiting world Saturday night when 6-foot-7 forward Zion Williamson–the nation’s No. 2 ranked high school player in the Class of 2018–announced he will join the Duke Blue Devils next season.
Prior to the announcement, it was widely thought that Williamson–who has become a highlight machine at Spartanburg Day School in Spartanburg, South Carolina–would select either Clemson, South Carolina or UNC.
Duke was among Williamson’s final choices along with Kentucky and Kansas but was seen as having an outside shot at landing him.
Now, though, head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils have compiled a historic recruiting class which includes the top three players in the ESPN 100 recruiting rankings.
“Duke stood out because the brotherhood represents a family,” Williamson said. “Coach K is just the most legendary coach that ever coached college basketball. I feel like going to Duke University, I can learn a lot from him.”
Top-ranked RJ Barrett and No. 3 Cam Reddish will join Williamson to give Duke a trio of talented, 6-foot-7-inch wings with enormous potential.
The Blue Devils–who will likely need to replace their entire starting lineup–will also welcome No. 10 Tre Jones, a point guard who is also the younger brother of former Duke star Tyus Jones.
Tar Heel fans shouldn’t worry, however, as ESPN still ranks UNC’s incoming class–which includes guards Coby White and Rechon Black, as well as talented wing Nassir Little–as the No. 5 group in the nation.
Both White and Little were named to the McDonald’s All-American game this past week, where they will compete both with and against Duke’s future stars.
For the full ESPN 100 recruiting rankings, click here.
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