Duke basketball recruiting: Premier Chicago prep reveals top 10

St. Rita High School (Ill.) big man James Brown tweeted his top 10 on Friday night. His Duke basketball suitors survived the cut, along with rival UNC, plus Eastern Michigan, Howard, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.

The 6-foot-10, 225-pound junior, who reeled in more than two dozen offers, is a top-tier four-star at No. 27 on the 247Sports 2024 Composite. Brown's most noticeable gifts on the floor are his physicality, large hands, and agility.

He is one of only seven players in his class holding a Duke basketball offer and the only center on that list.

Although the Blue Devils have not snagged a commitment in the cycle, they are making strides. Duke is one of five programs on tap to host Brown for an official visit in the next five weeks and the only program with a scheduled official visit from Paul VI (Va.) four-star small forward Darren Harris.

Harris will be in Durham the weekend of Oct. 14, and Brown will be in town one week later, coinciding with Countdown to Craziness on Oct. 21.

Brown's other four official visits are to Missouri (Oct. 1), Michigan State (Oct. 7), UNC (Oct. 15), and Illinois (Nov. 4).

While none of the major recruiting sites contain expert predictions for the James Brown sweepstakes, Inside Carolina's Sherrell McMillan reported rumblings this week that UNC head coach Hubert Davis and assistant Sean May "made a strong impression" during their recent trip to Chicago.

That said, Duke's Illinois pipeline was a proven force under Chicago native Mike Krzyzewski and should continue to be so with Illinois product Jon Scheyer at the helm.

On that note, it's worth pointing out that Scheyer, not to mention other head coaches still in pursuit, also visited Brown (wearing goggles in the above video) in recent weeks.

Perhaps James Brown's upcoming string of official visits suggests a final decision around the corner. On the other hand, he's only a junior and has not indicated he's in a rush to choose a winner.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.