Two Duke Basketball Targets Among Candidates to Bypass College

Southern California Academy five-star small forward Naas Cunningham and IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star small forward Bryson Tucker each reported an offer from the Duke basketball program over a year ago.

But there hasn't been much buzz around the Blue Devils in either of the rising high school seniors' recruitments in quite some time, despite Duke still sitting among the final five for Cunningham, along with Kansas, Memphis, Rutgers, and UCLA.

One possible explanation is head coach Jon Scheyer's commitments from two other heralded small forwards in the class: Paul VI Catholic (Va.) four-star Darren Harris and North Meck (N.C.) five-star Isaiah Evans.

Another possible explanation is the Duke targets' perceived interest in the pro route.

On Thursday, Rivals' Rob Cassidy mentioned Cunningham and Tucker as preps who seem to be seriously considering the Overtime Elite or NBA G League Ignite professional option over college, especially in light of that choice paying off recently for others:

"The fact that Overtime Elite and the NBA G League placed six players in last week's NBA Draft certainly isn't lost on prospects in the 2024 class, and there are a handful of players that already seem worth watching when it comes to skipping college...Five-star Bryson Tucker, who left IMG Academy at midseason, is worth mentioning...Names such as Isaiah Elohim and Naasir Cunningham have also been tossed around as possible pro league candidates. Nothing on that front is likely to clear until after the July evaluation period at least, and dominoes will continue to fall for months to come."

Cassidy then predicted Tucker would choose the G League and that "a name or two no one expects also take the professional route."

Meanwhile, Duke basketball's list of 2024 offer holders who have neither committed anywhere nor publicly eliminated the Blue Devils consists of Tucker, Cunningham, and four others: five-star center Flory Bidunga, four-star center Patrick Ngongbo II, five-star small forward Tyler Betsey, and five-star combo guard Dylan Harper.

Of those names, based on needs and current interest reported, it feels like Scheyer's best chances are with Bidunga, Ngongba, and Harper.

For now, Duke's two-deep haul of Evans and Harris ranks No. 8 in the country, per 247Sports.

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