The four-deep five-star foundation was a breeze. But Duke basketball scouts appear to be looking for at least a top fifth play in their top-ranked 2023 recruiting class. And they seem to run into obstacles when trying to apply that finishing touch.
Cathedral Prep (Ind.) five-star big man Xavier Booker, who signed on Saturday at Michigan State, is no longer an option. The same may be true for Brewster Academy (NH) four-star center JP Estrella, who was due to begin a now-cancelled official visit to Duke on Sunday.
Meanwhile, looking at the 247Sports crystal ball for small forward Andrej Stojakovic, the four-star small forward from Jesuit High School (California), Duke’s recent efforts come across as futile.
The five predictions there, counting that of Blue Devil insider John Watson on Saturday, make UCLA the absolute favorite for the son of former three-time NBA star Peja Stojakovic.
Additionally, the On3 recruiting prediction machine gives UCLA a 92.2% chance of ending up with Stojakovic’s services. As for the FutureCast Rivals, all three pundit picks favor the Bruins, who offered the 6-foot-6, 185-pound flamethrower in April and welcomed him for an official visit in June.
Still, it should at least be noted that Andrej Stojakovic put Duke in his top six on Friday. Of course, UCLA also survived the cut, joining Oregon, Stanford, Texas and Virginia.
Stojakovic told 247Sports’ Travis Branham that he hoped to announce his decision before the first signing period in the fall.
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A four-star or better to complete Duke’s basketball career?
Perhaps undecided high schoolers are hesitant to compete for minutes in a class that already includes four of the 247Sports 2023 Composite’s top 25 prospects: small forward Mackenzie Mgbako (#2), power forward Sean Stewart (#8), point guard Caleb Foster (#19) and shooting guard Jared McCain (#21).
Or maybe first-year head coach Jon Scheyer and his team are simply too late to fight for the advertised prospects who appreciate the heightened interest from other coaches in the early stages of their recruiting.
Whatever the explanation, it appears the only serious pursuit for the Blue Devils in 2023 at this point is for Worcester Academy (Mass.) power forward TJ Power. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound four-star, who ranks 63rd among his peers and has yet to name finalists, made official visits to Duke and UNC last week.
RELATED: The disengaged 2023 five-star must want Duke to enter the race
Power’s 247Sports Crystal Ball and Rivals FutureCast remain empty. The On3 recruiting prediction machine gives a slight advantage to Virginia (23.7%) over Duke (20.7%), UNC (17.8%), Notre Dame (14.8%) and Iowa (14.8 %).
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.
