Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)
Duke Basketball Recruit Shuts Down 'False Information'
Some insiders might not like Duke basketball's chances to land Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) senior Dylan Harper. But opinions change one week to the next in what continues to be a rollercoaster recruitment — at least in the eyes of recruiting gurus when surveying how many of his five finalists still have a shot and predicting a decision date.
RELATED: Five-Star Duke Recruit Dylan Harper Takes Late-Race Visit Elsewhere
For now, as the No. 2 overall prospect on the 247Sports 2024 Composite noted this week via social media, there are no fewer finalists than the five he named in late January: Auburn, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, and the home-state hopeful and perceived frontrunner among insiders, Rutgers.
"Still down to 5 no false information 🤐," the 6-foot-5, 180-pound combo guard, son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and brother of recent Rutgers star Ron Harper Jr., wrote on Friday evening in response to the following post from Rivals' Rutgers Scarlet Knights site:
The Duke basketball staff hosted Dylan Harper for an official visit last October. It coincided with Countdown to Craziness, where he joined the famed Cameron Crazies during the Blue-White scrimmage and appeared to have a good time.
However, there's been no word of the Blue Devils securing a return visit. That said, there's no telling how long until the versatile backcourt sensation announces a winner.
So, until he specifies that Duke is no longer a contender, perhaps there's still at least a sliver of hope that second-year head coach Jon Scheyer and his gang could make a late charge.
After all, it was only two weeks ago that 247Sports' Eric Bossi painted the Blue Devils as one of two frontrunners in his breakdown of the race:
"All eyes on this should probably still be on Rutgers and Duke. Frankly, it's felt like those two are the main competitors for some time. Talk that he could follow in his older brother's footsteps and head to Rutgers has continued to pick up steam. It's also notable that Harper has appeared pretty chummy with five-star Rutgers commit Ace Bailey, the No.3 player in 2024.
"While it's been speculated that Harper is in decision-making mode and could pop soon, 247Sports continues to hear that there is nothing planned when it comes to a commitment timeline."
Currently, the Blue Devils boast two 2024 commits: North Meck (N.C.) five-star small forward Isaiah Evans and Paul VI Catholic (Va.) four-star small forward Darren Harris. And they're hosting another prime target in the class, Wisconsin Lutheran five-star small forward Kon Knueppel, for an official visit this weekend.
RELATED: Elite 2024 Duke Target Suddenly Cancels Visit to Durham
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.