For once, Duke should be looking forward to an early entrant.Andre Dawkins, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Virginia Beach, Va. and the Blue Devils top recruit of the 2010 class., may suit up for the Blue Devils a year earlier than expected.
But according to his father, the decision, first reported by FOX Sports' Jeff Goodman, isn't final.
"He still has to complete something before that would take place," Dawkins' father, also named Andre, told the Raleigh News & Observer. "He has all of the requirements as far as credits. He did real well on the entrance exams."
For Duke, which is returning just scholarship guards from a team plagued by point guard trouble last season, Dawkins can't get on campus fast enough.
Rising sophomore Elliot Williams, who emerged as one of the team's most dynamic players in the second half of the season, transferred out of the program in June, while guard-forward Gerald Henderson left behind a year of eligibility to enter the NBA. Seth Curry, brother of ex-Davdison star Stephen Curry transferred in from Liberty, but must sit out until the fall of 2010, leaving Duke with just Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer to fill out the guard rotation. (In fact, after the departure of Williams, head coach Mike Krzyzewski had as many former scholarship guards coaching on his bench -- both assistants Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins played for the Blue Devils -- as he did playing in front of it.)
Dawkins could fill the athletic void left by Williams and, one of the best outside shooters in his class, should help shore up a thin perimeter that slumped badly against Villanova in the Blue Devils' Sweet 16 loss.
But getting him on campus this fall isn't guaranteed. Dawkins has already completed four years of high school -- he transferred from a public school to Atlantic Shores Christian Academy after his freshman year and repeated his freshman year for basketball reasons -- but remains one class short of graduation, according to the Daily Press.
Dawkins will still have to be cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
If the shooting guard does enroll this fall, Dawkins will join an already solid recruiting class for the Blue Devils, that includes McDonald's All-Americans Ryan Kelly, a 6-foot-10 face-up threat, and Mason Plumlee (6-11, 220), an athletic, if not physically dominant, forward.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
If DAWKINS plays this year, it could make a big difference in how far DUKE goes. Smith will probably start at the point, freeing up Scheyer to play the shooting guard. Mason Plumlee is going to surprise a lot of people with his dynamic yet disciplined game. For once DUKE has the size up front -- so with the (possible) arrival of DAWKINS to help out at guard, this team is complete -- and don't forget, there's a guy named SINGLER roaming the frontcourt for the Devils.