Fresh off the heels of Theo John committing to Duke as a graduate transfer the Blue Devils shore up their backcourt. In a fast recruitment the Blue Devils offered and received a commitment from 4-Star guard Jaylen Blakes. Blakes out of Blair Academy in NJ is rated just outside the top 100 prospects and ranked currently as a 4 star prospect. The offer comes as the Blue Devils are looking to shore up their backcourt and provide more ball handling and depth. With the departures of Jordan Goldwire to the transfer portal and DJ Steward having declared for the NBA Draft the Blue Devils were increasingly thin in the ballhandling department. Blakes instantly becomes a player that can get spot minutes and possibly more depending on if is ceiling is what a lot of current scouts are projecting.
Blakes is an energy bringer and at 6’2 with a 6’8 wing span he could bring some intangibles to the Blue Devils backcourt. Duke fans will remember Blair Academy as the same school that produced former Duke one-and-done Luol Deng. The relationship between Blair Academy Coaches and Coach K played a major part of this fast recruitment and is a win-win for both. With the onset of COVID and the lack of games showcasing his skills as a senior has not been possible for Blakes so receiving an offer from Duke and Duke needing to fill spots in the backcourt worked out well for both.
Blakes joins a stacked recruiting class that includes three 5-Star recruits in Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels.
Per Jaylen’s high school coach: “He is an elite shooter, he is an elite free-throw shooter, he is a multi-positional defender, he is a winner, and he is an unbelievable character kid.”
The New Jersey guard held offers from Pitt, Connecticut, Depaul, Georgetown, Illinois, East Carolina and others.
