As most people already know Duke is recruiting Miller Groves Tony Parker very aggressively but Duke fans also know the prevailing sentiment is that he is most likely leaning toward Ohio State or possibly Kentucky or UCLA with Duke being a distant 4th. What happens if Duke doesn’t land Parker? Is all lost?
Well if Mason Plumlee decides to give it one more year at Duke then the only issue will be depth. Who will spell Mason? Duke will have to go somewhat small when Mason is out of the game. Much smaller should Mason jump to the NBA.
You have to figure that Marshall Plumlee will man the Center position with Mason at the Power Forward spot, then a versatile Small Forward or bigger Guard. With Tony Parker Duke would get more punch in the middle, they can go 2 Forwards and 3 Guards, or 2 Guards, 2 Forwards and a Center depending on the match-up. It’s not a must that Duke lands a Power Forward but setting up for 2013 it would be nice to have that depth in 2012 and a more game ready sophomore in 2013, but critical is it not.
The most likely scenario for Duke is to land a small forward, hopefully Amile Jefferson out of Friends Central High School in Philadelphia. It’s not a slam dunk with Kentucky and NC State also hard at it for Jeffersons services. Jefferson is said to be deciding in the next 2 weeks or so. Duke flirted for a while with PF Ricardo Gathers but I’m not sure either side was seriously considering the other. That particular flirtation seemed to die as soon as it hit the media airwaves.
As fans we want to see top 10 recruits and a steady stream of them but I’m pretty certain the 2013 class will be a “big” one for Duke, if the 2012 recruiting class comes up a little short. We do have stud shooting guard Rasheed Sulaiman coming in and trust me folks he is the real deal. While he won’t fill any holes in the middle, he will definitely bring a lot to the table. He’s a scorer by nature but can get at it on the defensive end, he has quick hands, great basketball mind and the athleticism to back that up. His ability to can both the 3 and the mid-range jumper will make defenders have to guard him on the perimeter opening up his emerging skills with the rock, he’s made himself into a fantastic threat off of the bounce. He can get to the rim, he can shake his defenders off the dribble and can pass in traffic effectively.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOdHWRZn8rY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gnWJhfcSKo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5Wnmwl4HxQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7pUOEagwL0
Duke is looking to 2013 as a big year, with sharpshooter Matt Jones already in the truck, Duke as its sights set on a couple of bigs in the class.
Jabari Parker out of Simeon Academy the consensus number 1 in the 2013 class is high on Dukes priority list, also high on the list is Julius Randle who is an AAU teammate and close friend of commit Matt Jones. Duke inquired about BeeJay Anya a 6’8 C/PF out of Dematha in Maryland, and gave Jabari Bird a SG out of Richmond, CA a cursory glance as well.
