It’s not “official” until Friday at 3pm CST, but it’s known that Jahlil Okafor is headed to Duke. And you know what that means, Tyus Jones is also likely to be a member of the Blue Devils. Both Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones have said numerous times that they are package deal. So recruiting experts have known for some time that the two top 5 national prospects will be college basketball teammates next year.
Jahlil Okafor, the big man from Whitney Young high school in Chicago, and overall #1 national prospect, was in attendance to watch the Kansas Jayhawks beat the Duke Blue Devils last night in the Champions Classic.
New Cliff Alexander recruiting UPDATE: on Cliffmas Eve
And the talk in the press room last night at the United Center was Jahlil Okafor is pretty solid on committing to Duke.
And that means a lot because that room is filled with experts at levels of basketball: NBA scouts, NBA front office people. college basketball gurus, recruiting experts, and general hoops literati. People in the know; with connections. And the topics of Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Cliff Alexander even over-shadowed what happened on the court that night. Yes, even Jabari Parker and the clinic he put on. Again, pretty much everyone in the media room were saying it’s Okafor and Jones to Durham.
Here’s what the Jahlil Okafor crystal ball says: 91% Duke, 8% Kansas.
Here’s our NBA Draft stock report on Kansas vs. Duke.
And also Michigan State vs Kentucky.
So we know Tyus Jones is also coming to Durham, the explosive, blue chip guard from Apple Valley high school is rated the #4 or #5 prospect in the nation. The Tyus Jones crystal ball shows 93% Duke 7% Kansas.
And obviously, the other big story is Cliff Alexander, who’s rated the third best recruit in the nation. The big man from Curie high school on the south side of Chicago is a slight favorite to land with the Illini, but Kansas is right up there with Illinois. There’s also a chance he lands at DePaul. Illini basketball fans have been chanting “We Want Cliff” at the end of the last two home basketball games.
There’s been some drama and soap opera going on in the recruitment of CA. He was falsely accused of an improper relationship with a reporter.
His signing ceremony occurs at the same exact time tomorrow. Here’s up to the minute stuff on the Cliff Alexander recruiting.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the nation; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Catch him talking Chicago Bears every Friday on WAOR, Illini and Northwestern for KOZN every Tuesday. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS