As of Monday, Worcester Academy (Mass.) power forward TJ Power has five finalists: his Duke basketball rivals along with Boston College, Iowa, UNC, and Virginia.
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Yet technically, the rising 6-foot-8, 210-pound high school senior, who doubles as a standout pitcher, is still considering 10 programs. That’s because Power has also been researching each school’s baseball program.
Yes, Power hopes to at least test his powerful arm — reports of his fastball range in the high 80s to low 90s — at the college level. And this week, he told Jason Jordan, SI.com’s national recruiting insider, that he has “had very good conversations” with the baseball coaches at each of the remaining schools on his list.
Moreover, Power noted to Jordan that none of the basketball coaches in the effort were against the idea of his dual-sport aspirations:
“I’ll get the chance to try and play both. It’s not like I’m coming in expecting to start and play a bunch of innings. I just want to be in a developed program and see how far I can go with that. All of the basketball coaches are part of the idea.”
The Duke basketball program isn’t exactly known for being home to Power-caliber dual-sport athletes as of late. But it’s interesting to see first-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer, whose recruiting genius has landed Duke in the top spot in the 247Sports Team Rankings in the 2022 and 2023 arenas, keeping an open mind.
Reviewing the Duke basketball recruiting target’s talents and timeline
TJ Power’s height, vision, and overall flick-of-the-wrist jumpers could be said to fit the mold of former Duke All-ACC stretch four Matthew Hurt. Read also : 10 Times Music Saved The Day In Anime. However, Power seems more bouncy than Hurt, not to mention a better defender.
However, unlike Hurt, who offers five stars for most of his prep career, Power does not have the coveted fifth star in his rating.
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Still, he ranks No. 63 overall on the 247Sports 2023 Composite. And as Jason Jordan suggested in his article, Power should climb the rankings in light of the Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP hardware he collected in July’s Nike EYBL showcase.
For now, Power appears to be the only remaining target on Duke’s realistic 2023 wish list.
He took official visits to Duke and UNC during the same week at the end of July – his other finalists have also welcomed him – and he’s looking at the end of September as the most likely timeframe for his decision.
Meanwhile, the 247Sports Crystal Ball and Rivals FutureCast for TJ Power sit empty.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.
