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Duke Basketball Recruiting: Is This Duke’s Best Class Ever?

Not unless they can match the accomplishments of the Class of ‘92.

By JD King

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High School Basketball: McDonalds High School All American Games
Mar 28, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; From left to right McDonalds High School All American guard Tre Jones (0) and guard RJ Barrett (6) and guard Cameron Reddish (8) and forward Zion Williamson (12) who have all committed to playing basketball at Duke University pose for a group photo at Philips Arena.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

As you probably know, Duke has (another) really good freshman class lined up. RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Zion Williamson, Tre Jones and Joey Baker will give Duke a huge boost.

But is this Duke’s best freshman class ever?

Well that depends on how you measure it.

You could make an argument that Christian Laettner’s class is the best ever since it went to Four straight Final Fours. That’s hard to top.

However, on the basis of entry rather than departing with accomplishments, this year’s is very gaudy.

ESPN’s John Gasaway eliminates that lofty class by restricting himself to classes in the one-and-done era. His ranking goes almost exactly backwards:

  • 2018-19
  • 2017-18
  • 2016-17
  • 2014-15

If this keeps up, by 2025 or so, this whole one-and-done thing is going to get really interesting.

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