New Duke Basketball Commit Works Out in Blue Devil Gear

Just days after publicly pledging allegiance to the Duke basketball program by putting on The Brotherhood jacket, Blair Academy (N.J.) five-star floor general Deron Rippey Jr. donned a Blue Devil shirt throughout his shootaround and workout drills at The Program NYC facilities in Brooklyn over the weekend.

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The Program NYC's official social media account posted the following footage of "Ron Ron" fine-tuning his overall game:

Welcome to The Program Ron Ron 🤝 Congrats on your commitment to @DukeMBB 🏀 pic.twitter.com/tiMRuetP7n
— The Program NYC (@TheProgramNYC_) January 4, 2026

"My dream is to win a national championship," the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Rippey, a speed-demon backcourt weapon currently stacking up at No. 12 overall and No. 1 among point guards on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, told ESPN after committing to the Blue Devils. "Coach Jon Scheyer recruits high-level talent and teaches those players how to play for each other. That's the only way to win.

"Their plan for me is to come in to lead and make an impact on winning. I am all about both."

Duke Basketball Aiming for Yet Another No. 1 Recruiting Class

While Deron Rippey Jr. appears due for at least a slight boost to his stock in the eyes of recruiting experts, he's currently not the highest-ranked prize in Duke's four-deep 2026 recruiting collection. No, that distinction belongs to St. Mary's Catholic High School (Ariz.) five-star power forward Cameron Williams with his No. 4 overall composite standing.

Sitting just one spot below Rippey on the 247Sports 2026 Composite is Heritage High School (Texas) five-star small forward Bryson Howard, who ranks No. 13 among his peers and became the first piece to Scheyer & Co.'s 2026 recruiting puzzle with his commitment on Oct. 21.

IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star center Maxime Meyer, No. 102 overall, rounds out the heralded group of future Blue Devils.

Williams, Howard, and Meyer all put their Duke basketball pledges in ink during the early signing period in November.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer — Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer coaches against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Should the Blue Devils maintain their current position atop the 2026 recruiting rankings, it would mark the powerhouse's fourth top-ranked class across the first five years of Scheyer's reign. As for their lone class (2023) that didn't finish No. 1, well, it checked in at No. 2 in the country.

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

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