The rich just got richer: Duke basketball, which already had the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, adds another — well, sort of. On Wednesday, 5-star small forward Joey Baker, already a Duke commit, announced his plans to reclassify from 2019 to the 2018 class. This according to a report from 247 Sports.
The Blue Devils already have an incoming class of four 5-star players; that group includes R.J. Barrett, the top prep player in America. The 6-foot-7 forward will now join that group, reportedly.
Baker is currently rated as the No. 27 overall player in the 2019 class by 247 Sports.
Highly touted Duke commit Joey Baker will reclassify from 2019 to 2018, he tells @247Sports | Story: https://t.co/tLjr0kxHav pic.twitter.com/NOQO1ZHYSE
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) May 2, 2018
This is, of course, another 5-star commitment from an in-state prospect (Brandon Ingram, Harry Giles), too; Joey Baker plays his prep ball at Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville, N.C.
Baker initially committed to Duke last October; his recruitment was led by Jon Scheyer, who landed Baker over offers from basically every other top program — including North Carolina, Florida, NC State and Kansas.
On Tuesday, ACCSports.com published an update on Albany grad transfer Joe Cremo. Duke initially expressed interest in Cremo — almost a month ago — but appeared to have subsequently backed off. This reclassification of Baker, however, could explain that, too.
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