Duke basketball recruiting: Blue Devils sign top-shelf small forward
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On Tuesday, the second-to-last day of the fall signing period, Roselle Catholic High School (N.J.) small forward Mackenzie Mgbako became the fifth and final 2023 Duke basketball early signee. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound five-star inked his national letter of intent alongside a couple of his high school teammates.
Interestingly, one of those teammates, five-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, will be a rival to Mgbako next season as a member of the UNC basketball program. Wilcher ranks No. 19 overall on the 247Sports 2023 Composite.
Mackenzie Mgbako is a versatile, lengthy talent who ranks No. 5 among his peers, making him the highest-ranked prize in the Blue Devils' 2023 haul.
The other four Duke basketball signees are Montverde Academy (Fla.) five-star power forward Sean Stewart at No. 8 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite, Notre Dame High School (Calif.) five-star point guard Caleb Foster at No. 13, Centennial High School (Calif.) five-star combo guard Jared McCain at No. 18, and Worcester Academy (Mass.) five-star power forward TJ Power at No. 24.
Duke's class sat No. 1 in the country until earlier this week when the Kentucky basketball coaches landed the top-ranked high school senior in Camden High School (N.J.) five-star combo guard DJ Wagner.
RELATED: Blue Devils fall from the top spot in the 2023 recruiting arena
As a result, the Blue Devils dropped to No. 2 and will likely remain in that position until the end of the 2023 cycle.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.