Zagoria: Duke Emerges as Big Winner in Early Signing Period; Who’s Left on the Board?

The NCAA early signing period for basketball ended Wednesday and the big winner was Duke and coach Mike Krzyzewski.

The Blue Devils landed three of the top 15 players in the Class of 2014 and three players pegged to go No. 1, No. 11 and No. 15 in the 2015 NBA draft, according to DraftExpress.com.

With the additions of 6-10 center Jahlil Okafor, 6-1 point guard Tyus Jones and 6-5 wing Justise Winslow, as well as 6-4 shooter Grayson Allen, Duke now has the undisputed No. 1 recruiting class for 2014.

“We’re ecstatic about the four young men that are coming to Duke,” said Krzyzewski. “Grayson Allen committed to us very early. We believe he’s an explosive wing. Terrific offensive and defensive player. We consider Jahlil Okafor as good a big man as there is in the country, but not just a big man, we think he’s a great basketball player. He’s had an amazing amount of experience playing for the United States and for a great high school program.

“In Tyus Jones, I think we have the best point guard in the country. Someone who has won state championships, USA championships and is the consummate leader on the court. Justise Winslow is a great wing player. He is a guy that can guard every position and is an amazing rebounder and scorer. The great thing about all four of the kids is that they want to share a spotlight and they want to be on a great team. They’re team-first guys, even though they have this excellent amount of individual talent.”

The late signing period runs from April 16-May 21, although players can verbally commit at any time.

Here’s a look at the top four uncommitted and top 15 committed prospects in the Class of 2014.

STILL ON THE BOARD:

1. Myles Turner, C, Euless (TX) Trinity High

The 6-11 Turner burst onto the national scene this past spring and summer and is now projected as a top-two or top-three pick in the 2015 draft. His recruitment remains fluid and he is now listing Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma State. He has taken only one official visit – to Ohio State – and his father recently told ZAGSBLOG that Myles will take his second official to Oklahoma State on Dec. 6. Even though Duke landed a big man in Okafor, David Turner says his son is still considering the Blue Devils.

“Duke is definitely still in the picture,” he said. “Myles would have an opportunity to play for Coach K. Jahlil and Myles could co-exist. In fact, I think they make a pretty formidable 4/5 combo.”

As for Kansas, David Turner said they were “still setting that one up” for an official visit.

2. Rashad Vaughn, SG,  Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep

The 6-5 shooting guard from Minnesota is currently visiting UNLV.

Vaughn is coming off a recent official to Iowa State and said he also plans a trip to North Carolina at some point.

“I’m still deciding on the last two,” Vaughn recently told ZAGSBLOG , referring to his other two official visits. “I’ll probably trim it sometime, I don’t know when.”

Vaughn also is considering Arizona, Minnesota, Baylor and Kansas. He is expected to sign in the late period, along with fellow elite recruits Myles Turner, Jonah Bolden and JaQuan Lyle.

3. Jonah Bolden, SF, Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep

The 6-9, 210-pound forward has cut his list to USC, Louisville, SMU, Kentucky, Indiana and UCLA.

Bolden does not have an offer from Kentucky but is still considering the Wildcats

He recently told ZAGSBLOG that UCLA, SMU, Louisville and Indiana are “the ones that are working hard on me now.”

4. JaQuan Lyle, SG, Huntington (W.V.) Prep

The 6-5 Lyle surprisingly decommitted from Louisville and re-opened his recruitment in September. He’s now considering Kansas, Providence, Oregon, West Virginia, Indiana, Connecticut, Memphis and Florida State.

Kansas assistant Jerrance Howard met with Lyle last week at the school and they are trying to set up a visit soon. Lyle and Kansas pledge Cliff Alexander have talked about packaging together and it could happen at KU.

ALREADY COMMITTED:

1. Jahlil Okafor, C, Chicago (IL) Whitney Young: DUKE

2. Cliff Alexander, PF, Chicago (IL) Curie: KANSAS

4. Tyus Jones, PG, Apple Valley (MN) Minnesota: DUKE

5. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, Dallas (TX) Prime Prep: SMU

6. Stanley Johnson, SF, Fullerton (CA) Mater Dei: ARIZONA 

9. Karl Towns Jr., C, St. Joe’s Metuchen (NJ): KENTUCKY 

10. Justin Jackson, SF, Tomball (TX) Homeschool Christian Youth Assoc.: NORTH CAROLINA

11. Kevon Looney, PF, Milwaukee (WI) Hamilton: UCLA

12. D’Angelo Russell, SG, Montverde (FL) Academy: OHIO STATE

13. Theo Pinson, SF, Greensboro (N.C.) Wesleyan Christian: NORTH CAROLINA

14. Joel Berry, PG,  Apopka (FL) Lake Highland Prep: NORTH CAROLINA

15(t). Chris McCullough, PF, Brewster (N.H.) Academy: SYRACUSE

15(t). Devin Booker, SG, Moss Point (MS): KENTUCKY

Photo: NewsObserver.com

Adam Zagoria of Zags Blog covers the future stars of the NBA for SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear  Saturdays. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamZagoria.