Per Duke Comms:
DURHAM – Duke men’s basketball head coach Jon Scheyer announced his second No. 1 recruiting class in three years with the signing of five players to the class of 2024 during the NCAA early signing period.
The top-ranked class would mark the third consecutive top-two class for Scheyer, after inking the top class for 2022 and the No. 2 group in 2023. With Scheyer on Duke’s coaching staff, the program has signed a top-three class in each of the 11 seasons. If the Blue Devils go on to complete the 2024 cycle with the top-ranked class, Scheyer will have been involved with recruiting a No. 1 class to Durham for the sixth time in the last 11 years.
“I’m very proud of this group,” said Scheyer. “There’s great versatility, and each and every one of them brings a high level of competitiveness and toughness to our program. Just as importantly, off the court, they’re all amazing people with great character. Their desire to win while helping to make their teammates better stands out, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to coach them. Our staff has done a fantastic job, and we’re so excited to welcome these five to Duke basketball and the Brotherhood.”
The five-player class is led by No. 1 overall prospect, Cooper Flagg, and includes four ranked in the top 20 by 247Sports. Four of the signees are rated as the top player in their respective states by either ESPN or 247Sports – Flagg (Maine), Isaiah Evans (North Carolina), Kon II Knueppel (Wisconsin) and Patrick Ngongba II (Virginia).
Cooper Flagg – F – 6-9 – Montverde Academy (Fla.) – Newport, Maine
“It’s been an honor for me to get to know Cooper for some time now as a person”, said Scheyer. “It speaks for itself who he is as a player – the competitor that he is and his incredible versatility. On the defensive end he has an ability to block shots and defend one through five. And on the offensive end, he can really score, pass, handle – whatever you need him to do. He’s going to bring an incredible competitiveness and toughness to our program that I can’t wait to coach.”
- Rated as a five-star prospect and the top player in the 2024 class by both 247Sports and ESPN.
- Originally a member of the 2025 class before reclassifying to 2024 in mid-August.
- The second Duke signee all-time with a 1.0000 rating from 247Sports, joining RJ Barrett.
- The first freshman to be named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year – averaging 20.5 points and 10.0 rebounds while leading Nokomis Regional High School to a state championship.
- Transferred to Montverde Academy in 2022, averaging nearly 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
- Made his presence known at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam event, averaging 25.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.9 blocks, 5.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game – including a 38-point, 16-rebound, 12-block game, followed up by another triple-double in an elimination game.
- Originally committed to Duke on October 30, 2023.
Darren Harris – G/F – 6-6 – Paul VI Catholic – Fairfax, Va.
“Darren is a guy that has been battle tested for a long time,” said Scheyer. “He’s played for one of the premier high school programs in the country in Paul VI in Virginia and one of the premier EYBL programs in Team Takeover. He’s a winner and he’s a guy that steps up in the biggest moments. He’s somebody who has dreamed about coming to Duke for a long time, so I know that he’ll be all-in when he gets here.”
- A four-star prospect according to both 247Sports and ESPN, ranked No. 45 by ESPN and No. 56 by 247Sports.
- The second-best player from Virginia according to ESPN, trailing only his high school teammate and fellow future Blue Devil, Patrick Ngongba II.
- Fourth player to attend Duke from Paul VI Catholic in recent years, joining Trevor Keels, Jeremy Roach and Ngongba II.
- Helped lead Team Takeover to eight wins at the EYBL Peach Jam, averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
- Scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, in the EYBL Championship, earning MVP and All-EYBL First Team honors.
- The first commit of Duke’s 2024 recruiting class, initially committing on Oct. 22, 2022.
Isaiah Evans – G/F – 6-6 – North Mecklenburg – Huntersville, N.C.
“Isaiah’s highly-skilled, very competitive, unbelievably versatile,” said Scheyer. “He can score and shoot with the best of them and has great size for the position that he plays. He’s somebody that can do a lot of different things when he gets to Duke, but his most underrated quality is his ability to pass. He’s a really good passer, can make others better, and I can’t wait to welcome him and his family to Duke in the fall.”
- Rated as a five-star by both 247Sports and ESPN, ranked as the No. 8 prospect by ESPN and the No. 11 prospect by 247Sports.
- The No. 3 small forward and No. 3 player in the state of North Carolina by 247Sports.
- The No. 4 small forward and No. 1 player in North Carolina by ESPN.
- Named North Carolina Mr. Basketball and 2022-23 MaxPreps North Carolina High School Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a junior.
- Scored 62 points in the fourth round of the playoffs, passing Chris Paul’s 61-point performance as the sixth-best scoring output in a single game in NCHSAA lore.
- Averaged 43.8 points per game in the state playoffs in 2023 before falling in the semifinal to the eventual state champions.
- Originally committed to Duke on April 27, 2023.
Kon II Knueppel – G/F – 6-6 – Wisconsin Lutheran – Milwaukee, Wis.
“What drew us to Kon was his competitiveness, his toughness and his great feel for the game,” said Scheyer. “He can shoot and score with the best of them but it’s his ability to make others better, to pass and to handle, and be a tough competitor on the defensive end as well. That versatility, with the winning pedigree that he brings to the table will be terrific for our program. He’s a guy that believes in what Duke basketball is all about.”
- The third five-star prospect in Duke’s 2024 class, ranked No. 16 nationally by 247Sports and No. 22 by ESPN.
- Listed as a small forward by 247Sports, ranked as the No. 6 player at the position and the No. 1 player in the state of Wisconsin.
- Listed as a shooting guard by ESPN and tabbed as the No. 5 player at the position and the No. 1 player in Wisconsin.
- Averaged 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a junior.
- Plays for Phenom University and led the Nike EYBL in scoring with 22.5 points per game, while shooting nearly 50% (.475) from beyond the arc.
- His father, also named Kon, scored over 2,000 career points at Wisconsin Lutheran College while his mother, Chari, is the all-time leading scorer in UW-Green Bay history with 1,964 points.
- Originally committed to Duke on Sept. 21, 2023.
Patrick Ngongba II – C – 6-11 – Paul VI Catholic – Fairfax, Va.
“Pat is the best big man in the country,” said Scheyer. “He’s a guy that can score inside and out. What we love about him is his incredible skill level. He’s a great passer, he can really handle the ball, and he can shoot from three, as well as score inside – right hand and left hand. He has great footwork, he’s a high-level rebounder. He’s somebody, that when you play with him, he makes everybody better on the court.”
- A five-star prospect according to ESPN, ranked as the No. 19 player nationally.
- Ranked as the best player from Virginia by both ESPN and 247Sports.
- Current Blue Devil captain Jeremy Roach also attended Paul VI Catholic.
- Had a breakout season for Team Takeover on the EYBL circuit – averaging 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds.
- Made a statement with a 33-point, 18-rebound and five-assist game against Phenom University.
- Son of two former collegiate basketball players, with both of his parents – Patrick and Tajama – playing for George Washington. Tajama graduated as George Washington’s all-time leading scorer with 2,134 career points and played two seasons in the WNBA.
- Initially committed to Duke on Nov. 4, 2023.
