Duke basketball: Premier prep cuts Blue Devils from contention

It wasn't long ago that the Duke basketball recruiting machine looked like a frontrunner for Cathedral Prep (Ind.) center Xavier Booker, who ranks No. 3 overall among 2023 talents in the eyes of 247Sports and could rise as high as No. 1 before the cycle ends.

And in early June, Booker said he planned to visit the Blue Devils.

However, a few weeks ago, for one reason or another, the Duke staff seemed to shift its focus to two other undecided 2023 big men: Worcester Academy (Mass.) four-star power forward TJ Power and Brewster Academy (N.H.) four-star center JP Estrella.

So although it's rare in this day and age for any five-star targets to exclude the Blue Devils from their list of finalists, nobody should be shocked that Booker did precisely that on Monday evening.

The 6-foot-11 explosive giant revealed 10 schools still in contention for his services: Auburn, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, and Purdue.

Note that Notre Dame is the only ACC program still in the race.

An enviable Duke basketball recruiting class nonetheless

First-year Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and his crew have not yet sealed the top spot on the 247Sports 2023 Team Rankings. That said, they're off to as hot of a start as any reasonable Blue Devil fan could hope for at this juncture.

Four pledges are already in tow: point guard Caleb Foster, shooting guard Jared McCain, small forward Mackenzie Mgbako, and power forward Sean Stewart.

All four boast five-star ratings.

Duke remains the only program with two 2023 prizes inside the top 10 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite — Mgbako at No. 2 and Stewart at No. 9 — not to mention the only one with four in the top 25.

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