Amile Jefferson: Recruit Would Be Foolish to Sell His Soul to Blue Devils
Hopefully Amile Jefferson doesn't live under a rock.
The 6’7”, 190-pound 4-star recruit out of Philadelphia is set to make the most important decision in his life. When it’s all said and done, it’d be in his best interest to avoid signing with Duke.
According to Rick O’Brien of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Jefferson is scheduled to announce his decision on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. EST. ESPN ranked the forward the 25th best player in the class of 2012. The five teams praying for him to call their names include Duke, NC State, Ohio State, Kentucky and Villanova.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
ESPN’s Dave Telep reported that the majority of rumblings linked to Jefferson are that: “No one has a clue where he’s going.”
Telep personally believes that Jefferson’s decision will ultimately come down between two teams: the Blue Devils and Wolfpack. But he simply counts out the Wildcats because Jefferson’s father didn’t attend his visit to Kentucky’s campus. Is eliminating KY that easy?
No at all.
Jefferson would be wise to follow Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Archie Goodwin and Willie Cauley to form arguably the top recruiting class in the nation. Duke hasn’t had nearly as much luck baiting prospects this year. Rasheed Sulaimon is their lone 2012 commit. But is the class differential really a surprise?
No at all.
First off, John Calipari is a recruiting mastermind. Secondly, Kentucky players always flood the NBA Draft lottery. And finally, Kentucky just won the national title.
Mike Krzyzewski is a phenomenal coach. But in the past five drafts only two Blue Devil players were selected in the lottery: Kyrie Irving and Gerald Henderson. And Henderson is mediocre.
Jefferson is talented enough to enter the draft early. If he wants instant playing time and higher lottery odds, Kentucky vs. Duke is a no-brainer.
And besides, one word should extinguish the Blue Devils as a possibility: Lehigh.
The Blue Devils just got knocked out by a No. 15 seed. And Austin Rivers—their best player—just said sayonara as he’s headed to the league.
If Jefferson wants to win now, he’ll pick Kentucky. If he wants to get paid later, he’ll pick Kentucky.
Choosing Duke would be a mistake.
David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
