Duke Basketball Recruiting: Sales Pitches for Top 2016 Targets

Duke is the defending national champions and has signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the second year in a row. Surely this means the Blue Devils can have their pick of the top prospects in 2016, with Mike Krzyzewski simply pointing toward a recruit and quietly saying "that one."

If only it were that easy. It might seem like that's the case, since Duke's past two classes have been so stellar. But with several of those most recent signees, Krzyzewski and his staff had to fend off plenty of notable suitors to get those commitments.

The sales pitch had to involve more than the promise of playing time and copious amounts of TV time. And the same goes with the approach Duke is taking to get its next batch of future stars.

Duke doesn't currently have a commit for 2016, but there are still nearly five months until the early signing period, so there's no reason for concern. Some commitments could come this summer, assuming the Devils' top prospects buy into the following pitches.

Marques Bolden

247Sports

Position: Center

Height, weight: 6'10", 235 lbs

Rank: 17th

The pitch: Be our enforcer

Duke is going to look very different in the paint this season, compared to 2014-15, as there's no longer Jahlil Okafor dominating down low. Instead, the combination of 6'9", 270-pound Sean Obi and long-and-lean Chase Jeter will be splitting up the responsibilities that Okafor handled mostly himself.

Marques Bolden could be a return to the Okafor style in 2016-17, assuming his offensive game continues to progress and comes to be as strong as what he does on the defensive end.

"Bolden's strength is his shot-blocking and ability to defend either big man position," 247Sports' Andrew Slater wrote.

It's a good sell, but it might not be enough to pull Bolden away from the Big 12 since Baylor, Kansas and Texas are all over the DeSoto, Texas, native. If he were to come to Duke, he could be joining former DeSoto star Matt Jones, who would be a senior in Bolden's freshman year.

Harry Giles

247Sports

Position: Power forward

Height, weight: 6'10", 210 lbs

Rank: 1st

The pitch: Follow Brandon Ingram's footsteps

Before Duke landed Ingram, the No. 3 player in the 2015 class, it had been more than a decade since a recruit from the state of North Carolina earned a scholarship with the Blue Devils. It wasn't that they lacked interest in in-state talent, but the 5-star prospects from 2012-14 all ended up signing with North Carolina or N.C. State.

Now comes Harry Giles, who is one of three 5-star recruits from the Tar Heel State for 2016 and is also currently ranked by 247Sports as the best around. And not surprisingly, everyone wants Giles as part of their future.

Giles had 16 offers, including ones from Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Ohio State. Others are sure to come following his participation with Team USA's under-19 team June 27-July 5 in Greece.

Ingram was pursued by a similarly strong group of teams, but it really came down to the local suitors. 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictor has it that way for Giles, too, with Duke getting a 61 percent chance at grabbing Giles, followed by UNC (32 percent) and Wake Forest (7 percent).

Josh Jackson

247Sports

Position: Shooting guard

Height, weight: 6'7", 185 lbs

Rank: 2nd

The pitch: Durham is better than Dubai

Despite proclaiming that he is "definitely going to college," per Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News, the fact that rumors have already swirled about Josh Jackson possibly heading overseas for his mandatory one year between high school and the NBA will keep this an issue until he arrives at a school in the summer of 2016.

If Jackson were to take the pro route instead of school, who knows where he'd end up playing. He could end up being someone to test out the proposed Las Vegas Dealers semi-pro team that's trying to lure one-and-done players with sizable compensation or play in Europe or Asia.

While those options would be more lucrative right away, none are likely to ensure future financial stability like playing for Duke has. Just look at the latest 2015 NBA mock drafts, such as the one from NBADraft.net, which has all three of the Blue Devils' one-and-done departees going in the first round and two being lottery picks.

Emmanuel Mudiay, who opted to play in China last season rather than honor his commitment to SMU, is also a lottery pick, so the other route can still produce results but doesn't have as proven a track record as Duke's growing list of one-year players to get drafted high.

Dennis Smith

247Sports

Position: Point guard

Height, weight: 6'3", 180 lbs

Rank: 4th

The pitch: We'll probably be needing a point guard, and we're saving the spot for you

Tyus Jones turned pro after leading Duke to the national title as a freshman, and his replacement (Derryck Thornton) is likely to be gone after one season as well since his decision to reclassify to 2015 wasn't based on wanting to get a jump start on his college education.

Point guard is the quarterback on a basketball team, and Dennis Smith is the only QB that Duke has offered in the 2016 class to this point, per 247Sports. They're also interested in Utah point Frank Jackson, but Smith is the first choice and Duke is making sure he knows this.

Smith, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, is also getting heavy interest from North Carolina, N.C. State and Kansas.

Jayson Tatum

247Sports

Position: Small forward

Height, weight: 6'8", 195 lbs

Rank: 3rd

The pitch: Duke loves its American heroes

While Mike Krzyzewski has stuck primarily to coaching the pro version of Team USA, including last summer in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, he's made sure to keep tabs on the best players from the lower levels who play for USA Basketball. That includes two Blue Devils from the 2014-15 team (Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow) and two more (Chase Jeter, Luke Kennard) that will be freshmen on this year's squad.

Three players that are among Duke's top targets for 2016 were officially named to the U19 Team USA roster, including Jayson Tatum. It will be Tatum's third year in a row playing for his country overseas, having won gold medals in 2014 with the U18 team in Dubai and in 2013 with the U17 team in Uruguay.

Tatum has been involved with Team USA activities since October 2012, when he participated in a developmental national team minicamp in Colorado. All of that experience has helped make him as highly ranked as he is in the 2016 class, and it's also why Duke wants him to be adding to that experience with the Blue Devils.

Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.