R.J. Barrett is going to Duke. The 6’6 guard, considered the consensus No. 1 player in high school basketball, chose the Blue Devils over Kentucky and Oregon.
R.J. Barrett, the No. 1 basketball recruit in the world, commits to Duke over Kentucky, Oregon
Duke has locked down college basketball’s No. 1 recruit.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Barrett was born and raised in Canada, but plays his high school ball at Florida’s Montverde Academy, the same school that produced Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell. He reclassified this summer to become a 2018 recruit after spending his entire high school career in the class of 2019.
Barrett was incredible this summer in leading Canada to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Cup. He turned in a signature performance in the semifinals against John Calipari’s heavily favored United States team by finishing with 38 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the win.
Barrett has always been ahead of the curve. He won MVP at Basketball Without Borders in February ahead of NBA All-Star Weekend, and was the youngest player at the Nike Hoop Summit in April.
Duke hits another home run in recruiting
For Duke, securing a player of Barrett’s caliber has become par for the course. This is the third year in a row Duke has signed the No. 1 overall recruit according to ESPN. It’s also the third straight year Duke has had multiple top-five recruits in the same class.
Barrett joins a class that already includes No. 3 overall prospect Cameron Reddish and five-star point guard Tre Jones, brother of former Blue Devils star Tyus Jones.
Barrett is considered the top prospect in the 2019 NBA draft. Mike Krzyzewski’s one-and-done success is not stopping anytime soon.
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