DURHAM, N.C. – April and May have been good months for head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke basketball program. The Blue Devils captured the 2015 NCAA Championship at the beginning of April and officially announced the addition of a pair of five-star recruits (Brandon Ingram and Derryck Thornton) in May to help give Duke the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the second straight year.
Duke welcomes three McDonald's All-Americans to Durham next season, as Ingram will be joined by prior commits, Luke Kennard and Chase Jeter, while Thornton was on course to make the 2016 McDonald's All-America game before reclassifying and joined the Blue Devils for next season. The six-player class is rounded out by a pair of players with NBA bloodlines in center Antonio Vrankovic and forward Justin Robinson.
The Blue Devil recruiting class has been tabbed No. 1 overall by all four major recruiting websites (ESPN, 247Sports, Scout and Rivals).
"We're ecstatic about our recruiting class,” said Krzyzewski. “We addressed our team needs in the number of players, with losing four of our eight scholarship players, but also by bringing in a variety of talents. On the perimeter, the explosive scoring and the ball-handling that we have coming in is sensational. We have an outstanding point guard, a tremendous scorer and passer in [Luke] Kennard, the versatility of Ingram, the ability of Jeter to play both big-guy positions, and then the developing big guy in Vrankovic gives us one of the most well-rounded classes and talented classes that we've had the opportunity to bring in here at Duke."
Ingram, hailing from Kinston, N.C., averaged a double-double during his senior season at Kinston High School. He registered 24.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for the Vikings, helping lead the team to its fourth-straight North Carolina 2A state title. The 6-foot-8 small forward served as the second-highest scorer for the West in this year's McDonald's All-American game, netting 15 points on 6-of-11 (.545) shooting from the field. Ingram also added five rebounds and two steals in the contest. The five-star wing's strong high school career earned him top-five rankings across each of the major recruiting services, including the No. 3 spot by ESPN.com. Ingram was also named to the 2015 USA Basketball Junior National Select Team for the 18th annual Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored 12 points on 5-of-6 (.833) shooting from the field.
Krzyzewski points to Ingram's well-rounded game and size as key factors to his impact on the court.
"In Brandon's case, his ability to handle the ball as a 6-9 player and not just handle it, he could really be like a point guard,” said Krzyzewski. “Because he's 6-9 with a 7-3 wingspan, he can play big, too. The versatility that he has, his intelligence and his ability to score from all those positions, or help others score, make him a very multi-dimensional player."
Thornton, a native of Henderson, Nev., is a consensus top-20 player despite bypassing a final year of eligibility at the prep level. The 6-foot-2 guard helped lead Findlay Prep to the semifinals of the 2015 Dick's Nationals, while compiling an overall record of 29-3 in the process. Thornton averaged 17.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game during his junior campaign. On March 27, 2013, Thornton joined the 48-player 2013 USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team mini-camp, playing alongside future teammate Chase Jeter.
"Not everyone that handles it has to be a point guard, but Derryck [Thornton] is a true point guard,” added Krzyzewski. “His ability to pressure the ball is impressive. Really, I think he does that as well as anybody I've seen in high school basketball in the next two classes. And then he's a pass-first guard. He can pressure the ball on defense, but he can put pressure on you offensively by bringing it up quickly and then getting by people to get some easy baskets for us."
Vrankovic, a 6-foot-11 center out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., averaged a double-double during his senior season at Pine Crest School, posting 27.5 ppg., 16.1 rpg. and 5.0 bpg. throughout the 2014-15 campaign. Vrankovic twice earned Class 4A-2A All-Broward first team honors and is slated as a three-star recruit by most recruiting services. Vrankovic is the son of former NBA player, Stojko Vrankovic, who played for the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers during the 1990s.
Robinson, son of former NBA All-Star David Robinson, is also set to join the team next season. The 6-foot-7 forward played for San Antonio Christian in San Antonio, Texas, and was recently named to the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) 4A Boys South Regional All-Tournament Team. Robinson was also a member of the 2015 TAPPS 4A District 4 All-District Team, receiving first team honors.
Duke returns six letterwinners for the 2015-16 season, including NCAA All-Final Four Team selection Grayson Allen and the veteran trio of Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones and Marshall Plumlee, who were announced as tri-captains at the team's annual end of year banquet last week.
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