At age 68, Mike Krzyzewski has Duke's program in as strong a position as it has been at any point in his storied career. The Blue Devils have reestablished themselves as college basketball's trendiest destination for elite recruits, not only propelling them to their fifth national title last spring but also thrusting them into championship contention for the foreseeable future. Duke added to its already formidable 2016 recruiting class on Friday when Rivals.com's No. 2 prospect Harry Giles chose the Blue Devils over Kentucky, Kansas and Wake Forest.
Before partially tearing his ACL earlier this week, Giles had showcased all the tools an elite power forward should possess, from the size and toughness to defend and rebound in the post, to the quickness and athleticism to run the floor and guard on the perimeter, to the agility and skill to score in a multitude of ways. The 6-foot-10 native of Winston Salem, N.C., is among the favorites to be taken No. 1 in the 2017 NBA draft assuming he can show that he's fully recovered from his latest knee injury.
Securing a commitment from Giles likely will be enough for Duke to hold off Michigan State and Kentucky to claim the top spot in the 2016 recruiting rankings. Giles joins a class that already included three top 50 prospects — explosive wing Jayson Tatum (No. 3), point guard Frank Jackson (No. 10) and forward Javin DeLaurier (No. 41). Center Marques Bolden (No. 16) has not chosen a school yet but is also a Blue Devils target. If Bolden also picks Duke, the Blue Devils would have four Rivals top 25 players in this class and 11 since 2014. To put that into perspective, fellow recruiting juggernaut Kentucky has seven so far in that span. Kansas and Arizona have four and North Carolina has just two.
Why has Duke become the chic program again in recruiting after swinging and missing on elite prospects like John Wall, Harrison Barnes, Greg Monroe and Shabazz Muhammad in previous years? There are a handful of factors that have contributed. Krzyzewski's ability to leverage his role with USA Basketball has played a big role. The NBA's stars embracing and lauding Krzyzewski has only made playing for him more appealing to today's top prospects, as has the additional face time he has logged with high school players at the U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels.
The academic fraud scandal that has ensnared North Carolina certainly hasn't hurt either. The Tar Heels' pursuit of Brandon Ingram, Giles, Tatum and other one-and-done-caliber prospects was crippled by the threat of looming NCAA sanctions and a potential postseason ban. But maybe the biggest reason for Duke's success is Krzyzewski's 2011 hire of ex-Blue Devils guard Jeff Capel as associate head coach. The former Oklahoma and VCU coach has shown a remarkable knack for building relationships with prospective recruits, spearheading the Blue Devils' pursuit of Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood, Justise Winslow, Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, among others.
Giles has a chance to be as good or better than any of his predecessors assuming his history of knee problems doesn't impede his development. He previously tore the ACL and MCL in his other knee the summer between his freshman and sophomore year, but he had fully recovered from that injury by this past summer when he led the U.S. in both scoring and rebounding en route to a gold medal at the U-19 World Championships. With a full year to recover from his latest knee injury before Duke opens the 2016-17 season, Giles ought to be healthy enough to be a key contributor for a Duke program poised success.
The Blue Devils won the national championship last spring and enter the new season ranked in the top five. They could easily be preseason No. 1 the following year depending on what sort of roster attrition Kentucky, Michigan State and others endure. So yes, life is good in Durham these days. At 68, Krzyzewski has never been more formidable.
