Coach Mike Krzyzewski may have already landed the crowning jewel of his recruiting class of 2016 by securing a commitment from Jayson Tatum.
A six-foot-eight, 190-pound small forward from Saint Louis, Mo., Tatum is the second overall player on the ESPN 100 and arguably the nation's top small forward in his class. 247 Sports gave Tatum a five-star rating and a 0.9985 composite score.
"I love the way the program is run and I love the way the academics are set up," Tatum told ESPN of his decision. "My relationships with the Duke coaches were the best, and they made me a priority. They did the best job of recruiting me and have been at almost all my games, and that means a lot."
The Chaminade College Prep student also considered Saint Louis, Kentucky and North Carolina. Duke was reportedly the only school Tatum made an official visit to and it only took one trip to Durham to sell him on the Blue Devils.
Krzyzewski is now turning his attention to Harry Giles, a power forward ranked first overall on the ESPN 100, and Dennis Smith, a point guard ranked fifth overall, ESPN learned. Both players are from North Carolina, so Duke should face staunch competition
for their commitment.
"I love Coach K's passion to coach his players and to coach the game," Tatum said. "I examined and watched the interaction between him and his staff, along with the players, and was impressed how hard they played."
