Austin Rivers, the nation's No. 1 recruit, commits to Duke
Instead of giving North Carolina and Kansas one final chance to sway him on official visits in the next two weeks, Winter Park (Fla.) High's Austin Rivers decided to end what little suspense was left in his recruitment.
Rivers, Rivals.com's top-ranked player in the Class of 2011, verbally committed to Duke on Wednesday night, no surprise considering Rivers has been wearing Blue Devils gear for months and they were thought to be his favorite.
[Rewind: Watch Rivers school No. 1 NBA pick]
"What Austin really liked about Duke is the freedom that they give their guards," Rivers' travel-team coach Therion Joseph told Rivals.com. "They run a guard-oriented offense, especially the last few years. They are the decision makers and drive the attack."
The addition of Rivers elevates Duke's 2011 recruiting class from a solid class to one of the nation's elite. Three top-10 recruits still give Kentucky far more star power, but the four-man haul Mike Krzyzewski has landed thus far assures that Duke will have plenty of young talent even after seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith graduate, and freshman Kyrie Irving and sophomore Mason Plumlee potentially turn pro.
Rivers instantly became the centerpiece of Duke's class the second the 6-foot-4 combo guard picked up the phone to tell Krzyzewski the good news. As you might expect from the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, Austin is both skilled and fundamentally sound, boasting NBA 3-point range, an excellent mid-range game and the ability to get to the rim, absorb contact and finish in transition.
[Related: NFL rookie's big contribution to former HS]
There was a school of thought as recently as a year or two ago that the Duke program had slipped from its place among the nation's best. Now with a national championship last season, being the nation's top-ranked team going into next season and enjoying a formidable recruiting class for 2011-12, the Blue Devils will be among the country's best teams for the foreseeable future -- we need to get used to the idea.
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