As you guys know, Deron Rippey committed to Duke Tuesday afternoon and that’s a big deal. He’s a gifted athlete and a guy who has the potential to be the best point guard that Jon Scheyer has recruited so far.
So we thought we’d do a couple of things for today’s YouTube Gold.
First are some highlights of Duke’s latest commitment. Rippey’s really talented, as you’ll see here. A 6-2 point guard out of New Jersey (as an aside, he’s one of the shorter players that Duke has signed in the last few years),
he could be the most athletic point guard Duke has brought in since Jason Williams.
On another note, this NC State podcast talks about missing out on Rippey. Grayson Boone is diplomatic enough to congratulate Duke and classy enough to say that Scheyer is underrated as a coach, but he also says that he thinks Duke has unlimited NIL money and that’s why the talent keeps coming.
It’s not unlimited, but that’s definitely part of it. However, it’s a lot more than that.
First, Duke players are on everyone’s radar. You can take a guy like Theo John, who was here for a year, or Caleb Foster, who has been here for three. They are, or were, widely known for being in the Brotherhood.
Did you know who John was when he was at Marquette? Possibly, but possibly not, too.
That kind of recognition obviously lends itself to NIL and professional opportunities.
Second, Duke’s facilities are top notch. You’re going to get the best coaching, the best training, the best nutrition science and so on and so on.
Third, the Duke network now is crazy. We’re not saying that you will necessarily get to talk to Quin Snyder, JJ Redick, Trajan Langdon, Elton Brand or Grant Hill, or any of the many Blue Devils playing in the NBA…but odds are you could schedule a call. For that matter, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams and other former Blue Devils who cover Duke in the media would probably take the call too.
Finally, if you’re a high-level player from a US high school or overseas, your chances of getting drafted as a Duke player are very good.
We’re not knocking NC State. State is a local rival, but Duke and State fans get along if only because we’re united in our distaste for those Triangle fans who prefer, shall we say…a diminished blue.
We’ve always said we’d like State to be powerful again and Will Wade may get them there. But Duke has an infrastructure in place that will take a very long time to match. Toss in juggernaut Nike (Duke) vs. Adidas (NC State) and it’s even more difficult.
Still, as Boone points out, Wade is an aggressive guy and he’ll find players. State is going to get better, which will help everyone.
They lost this round. They’ll starting winning their share.
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