Duke’s five-star wing Dariq Whitehead commits to the Blue Devils, joining a loaded recruiting class.
Duke University has committed five-star wing Dariq Whitehead to the Blue Devils. Whitehead is a high school senior from Chicago, IL. He also signed his letter of intent with head coach Jon Scheyer.
6:57 p.m. Eastern Time
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Borzello, Jeff
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ESPN Contributor- Insider on basketball recruitment.
- In 2014, he joined ESPN.
- University of Delaware graduate.
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Biancardi, Paul
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Basketball Talent Scouting- ESPN.com’s National Recruiting Director
- Coached at the Division I level for 18 years.
- Wright State’s former Horizon League coach of the year
ESPN Contributor
Basketball Talent ScoutingDariq Whitehead, a five-star winger, committed to Duke on Sunday, giving Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils their second top-20 recruit in four days.
Whitehead paid an official visit to Duke in June after visiting Florida State and Kansas.
“Duke has always been my ideal school growing up,” Whitehead told ESPN. “Coach K, his style of play, and the guys he drafted were all things I admired. When my recruitment process began, I began to have conflicting emotions about all of the various options available. I was receiving so much love from many institutions that it was difficult to make a choice. I didn’t realize Duke was home until my formal tour, when I set foot on campus.”
On Saturday, the G League made Whitehead an offer to join their G League Ignite squad, allegedly for $500,000.
“Rod Strickland and Shareef Abdur-Rahim and I just had a Zoom call. I was thankful for their offer to play in the G-League as a max player “According to Whitehead. “The G-league offer was really a blessing in my life. They made the offer the day before I was scheduled to commit, so I didn’t have nearly as much time to consider it as I did to consider going to college.”
Whitehead, a 6-foot-6 small forward from New Jersey who attends Montverde Academy in Florida, is rated No. 6 in the ESPN 100 for the class of 2022. He’s the No. 3 small forward behind Emoni Bates, an exceptional prospect, and Chris Livingston, a dynamic winger. On the Nike EYBL circuit this summer, Whitehead averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists for Team Durant, including a 26-point, 12-rebound, four-assist performance against fellow top-10 prospect Shaedon Sharpe and UPlay Canada.
Whitehead has grown into one of the most well-rounded and complete prospects in the class. He’s a high-level athlete with explosiveness while attacking the hoop and a burst on the open floor.
Defense is the foundation of his game. Guarding players like Scottie Barnes, Caleb Houstan, Cade Cunningham, and others at Montverde has made him a dedicated defender. Whitehead is an excellent switch defender who can keep the ball in front of him or chase down a shooter off a screen in order to challenge attempts.
He’ll take it off the glass and be a playmaker in the open floor as an aggressive rebounder. He has the mentality, physical skills, and potential to be a key member of Duke’s team next season, as well as a predicted first-round selection in the NBA draft in 2023.
Since Thursday, when No. 20-ranked senior Kyle Filipowski committed to Duke, Whitehead is the Blue Devils’ second top-20 pledge. Filipowski was Scheyer’s first signing after taking over for Mike Krzyzewski in early June. Krzyzewski will coach the 2021-22 season before stepping down, and Scheyer will take over as coach-in-waiting.
“Coach K assured me that he would still be there to assist me. “That meant a lot to me,” Whitehead expressed his gratitude. “Everyone thinks he’s a serious coach.” He’s serious about the game, after all. He is, nevertheless, a really amusing individual.
“Coach K and [Scheyer] both played and coached together. I’m pleased by him and have faith in him.”
With two seniors on the roster this season and three freshmen predicted in ESPN’s latest 2022 mock draft, Duke’s 2022 class is far from complete. Summer breakthrough guard Jaden Schutt was offered by the Blue Devils in July, and the team has positioned itself well in his recruiting, while five-star frontcourt talents Dereck Lively and Mark Mitchell visited Durham in June. They’re also interested in JJ Starling, a top-50 talent.
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