Potential Duke Basketball Recruiting Prize 'Shows Shades of Ja Morant'

If the Duke basketball recruiters manage to secure a commitment from Blair Academy (N.J.) five-star Deron Rippey Jr., the Blue Devils would be prepared to enjoy one of the program's most explosive point guards this decade.

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer is introduced during player introductions at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

In fact, as national recruiting insider Samad Hines suggested while watching the coveted senior prep at the USA Basketball Junior National Team Minicamp in Colorado Springs, Colo., over the weekend, Rippey possesses the necessary head-turning athleticism to potentially become one of this decade's most explosive backcourt weapons in college hoops.

"Deron Rippey Jr. shows shades of Memphis star Ja Morant," Hines opined in the following social media post, "a springy explosive point guard at 6-foot-2, has the quickness, speed with the ball, and elite athleticism — holds the great body control, can weave through defenses, and has progressed in his perimeter jump shooting."

2026 Deron Rippey Jr. shows shades of Memphis star Ja Morant — a springy explosive point guard at 6-foot-2, has the quickness, speed with the ball, and elite athleticism — holds the great body control, can weave through defenses, and has progressed in his perimeter jump shooting. pic.twitter.com/YJ1HlpFKKR
— Samad Hines (@Samad_Hines) October 11, 2025

Hines is by no means the only talent evaluator adding to the Rippey hype in recent weeks.

"I’ve personally been saying this for some time now," Phenom Hoops' Patrick O'Brien noted in his detailed evaluation of Rippey earlier this month.

Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center court logo before the Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"And it remains true in my opinion today; though there is plenty of elite talent in the Class of 2026, especially at the guard position, Rippey continues to reaffirm his spot as the top point guard in the country and will be a priority for so many high-major programs."

Those high-major programs still in contention for Rippey's electrifying skillset and winning ways make up his top nine: Duke, Kentucky, UNC, NC State, Miami, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, and Louisville.

Deron Rippey jr went crazy in The USA mini camp championship game and wins title 🤯 Deron Rippey has won 2 mvps and 2 awards and 2 titles at summer events in the last 3 months pic.twitter.com/N9wY7pnR8L
— Jordan Richard (@JordanRichardSC) October 13, 2025

He's already visited six of those schools. And Rippey will wrap up his loaded slate of official tours with three more across the next four weeks, beginning with next week's trip to Durham, where he'll watch the Blue Devils host UCF in an exhibition contest on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. ET (ACCNX).

"After we take these visits, we sit down, we reflect," Deron Rippey Sr. recently explained about his son's decision-making process during his chat with KY Insider's Tristan Pharis.

Feb 5, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Detailed view of the Duke Blue Devils logo on a uniform prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

"We have a system that my wife and my son to be able to sit down and make some assessments, and then now we’re down to five schools. Then those five schools will have a period to continue to recruit, be able to speak with him. Then we’ll come up with a timeline after we get down the five."

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his crew, hoping to land their first 2026 pledge and more in the coming weeks, extended an offer to Deron Rippey Jr. back in June.

Rippey currently sits at No. 11 overall, No. 1 among point guards, and No. 1 in New Jersey on the 247Sports 2026 Composite.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.