By: Ben McCormick
August 15, 2022
TJ Power
Heading into the fall signing period, Duke has few targets left for the class of 2023. They are heavily involved with fast rising shooter TJ Power who recently cut his list down to just five schools: Duke, Iowa, Virginia, Boston College, and North Carolina. Power recently made the jump all the way up to 21st on On3's latest player rankings for the class of 2023. Eric Bossi of 247sports noted that Power's recruitment may be one of the most interesting left in the class of 2023. That intrigue stems both from Power's fast rising rank and due to the fact that his recruitment is shaping up to be a battle of the blues. Bossi noted that some coaches and sources believe UNC has the slight edge, while others feel Duke has the edge. His personal belief is that UNC may have a slight advantage, but it is not even close to a sure thing.
Power has already made all his visits and is allegedly eyeing a decision within the next month. So, with Power's decision quickly approaching, I thought I would give my thoughts on how Duke and UNC stack up against each other in terms of fit. There is a great deal of uncertainty about Duke's frontcourt in 2023-2024. It is safe to say that Dereck Lively II will declare for the NBA Draft after this season, but the decisions of Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell, and Ryan Young are not so cut and dry. My belief is that Ryan Young will continue his graduate studies and exercise his final year of eligibility in 2023-24. Still, it is too early to say that with unabashed confidence. When it comes to the star studded forward freshman Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski, I strongly believe one will return and one will not. The decisions of these two players may play a role in Power's decision. Ultimately, if Power should commit to Duke I would expect him to play a backup forward position. He could utilize his versatility at SF and PF and would likely be a multiple year player.
For UNC, Armando Bacot is set to graduate, and assuming he does not opt into a fifth year of COVID eligibility, he will leave a big spot open in the interior. Graduate transfer Pete Nance will exhaust all eligibility, as will super senior Leaky Black. Even Caleb Love is eyeing what would seem to be a possible exit to the NBA if he has as successful of a junior season as the media believes. All that said, there will be minutes in Chapel Hill in 2023-2024. A lot more minutes than players ranked where Power is ranked often receive in Chapel Hill as a freshman. That opportunity could be tempting.
I believe Power's role will be similar at either school, but Duke's downside may be availability of floor time from the jump. That has not stopped many other five star prospects from choosing Duke in the past though. Jon Scheyer has proved that he can get most any player he wants on the recruiting trail, so if Power truly is as high of a priority for Duke as some think, I would buckle up for this battle of the blues.
James Brown
About a week ago, news broke from On3's Joe Tipton that 2024 four star C and Duke offeree James Brown would be taking his fifth official visit to Duke. Later it was confirmed that Brown would make that visit from October 20-22, which includes Countdown to Craziness on October 21st. The 6'9 junior will visit Michigan State on October 7th, Illinois (Nov 4), UNC (Oct 15), and Missouri (Oct 1).
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