The Duke Blue Devils got their first 2017 commitment on Friday, as four-star guard Alex O’Connell committed to playing for Coach K.
Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski has had a great month. After leading Team USA to the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, Coach K picked up his first commitment for his 2017 recruiting class. Duke is a perennial powerhouse, so expect more names to follow suit in the coming months.
Friday, Alex O’Connell committed to the Blue Devils, wasting no time in deciding. He was offered a scholarship on Tuesday, and felt there was no reason to delay the process. He is a four-star guard, and already has scholarship offers from numerous schools. Those schools include Syracuse, Louisville, and Georgia to name a few.
He is obviously ecstatic about playing for Coach K, and took to twitter to announce his decision.
https://twitter.com/Alex_OC11/status/769252466890252289
Not only will Alex be heading to Duke, but he is not the first in his family to play for the Blue Devils. His father, Dave O’Connell, played for the program during the 1970s. However, he said that did not factor in his decision.
“It didn’t impact my decision,” O’Connell told Scout.com. “It will be awesome to continue the legacy. I chose Duke because it was the right school.”
At 6’5”, O’Connell should prove to be a solid presence on the wing for Duke. He has shown the ability to score from all over the floor, and is currently ranked as the 16th best shooting guard in America by 247Sports.
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For O’Connell, he will be heading to Cameron Indoor Stadium at the right time. The Blue Devils will lose two of their biggest stars after the 2016 season in Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard, which should clear the way for O’Connell to step in as a freshman. Those are pretty big shoes to fill, but it appears O’Connell has the game to do just that.