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Joey Baker a 2019 Duke commit announced yesterday he's reclassing to 2018 and will join Duke as a freshman next year. CBS immediately reported this is the 2nd year in a row Duke has done this, Bagley last year. Apparently CBS isn't actually paying attention, Baker is the FOURTH kid that I'm aware of at Duke in the last 3 years to do this.
Deryck Thornton Jr moved up a year to join duke because Coach K wanted a PG, then when Thornton wasn't quite ready, Duke didn't play him a ton, and recruited over him at PG, and he transferred to USC, sat out a year, played this year and is still only 21 going into his redshirt junior year. In his case he clearly wasn't physically ready but Coach K needed a player.
Bagley was clearly ready, Bagley was 18 months old for the class he was in so moving up a year made sense.
RJ Barrett reclassed already, he's only 17 turns 18 in june. He appears physically ready to do it.
With Baker, he's again 17, he'll turn 18 in Sept, and the last listing I can find on him from the national team is 6'7" 197 pounds. Looking at tape on him he appears like a smaller TJ Leaf, but he makes TJ look physically strong in comparison. In fact even the CBS story on Baker said he'd be a bench player for Duke "or possibly redshirt."
I seriously doubt this is Baker's idea, Coach K realized he had a team just like last year with 5 mercenary starters and very little bench talent, so he asked Baker to move up a year so he'd have more scoring off the bench.
But it is Coach K and Duke so nobody in the national media is ever going to point out what he's doing
Deryck Thornton Jr moved up a year to join duke because Coach K wanted a PG, then when Thornton wasn't quite ready, Duke didn't play him a ton, and recruited over him at PG, and he transferred to USC, sat out a year, played this year and is still only 21 going into his redshirt junior year. In his case he clearly wasn't physically ready but Coach K needed a player.
Bagley was clearly ready, Bagley was 18 months old for the class he was in so moving up a year made sense.
RJ Barrett reclassed already, he's only 17 turns 18 in june. He appears physically ready to do it.
With Baker, he's again 17, he'll turn 18 in Sept, and the last listing I can find on him from the national team is 6'7" 197 pounds. Looking at tape on him he appears like a smaller TJ Leaf, but he makes TJ look physically strong in comparison. In fact even the CBS story on Baker said he'd be a bench player for Duke "or possibly redshirt."
I seriously doubt this is Baker's idea, Coach K realized he had a team just like last year with 5 mercenary starters and very little bench talent, so he asked Baker to move up a year so he'd have more scoring off the bench.
But it is Coach K and Duke so nobody in the national media is ever going to point out what he's doing
