Syracuse basketball has won a few recruiting wars vs. Duke, more ahead

We recently put out a column in which we detailed high-school prospects who held Syracuse basketball offers in recent years but ultimately chose Duke and its legendary head coach, Mike Krzyzewski.

This seems a somewhat relevant and fun topic since Krzyzewski is retiring after the 2021-22 campaign. We’re going to do the opposite in this piece, and highlight some guys who had offers from the Blue Devils but decided to wear Orange.

Understandably, given Duke’s prowess on the recruiting trail, this list is much shorter. Just as an FYI, we’re using information from the 247Sports Web site for this article.

Up first is current ‘Cuse sophomore point guard Joe Girard III, who hails from the Empire State. Girard, a three-star prospect in the 2019 cycle, picked his home-state Orange even though he was recruited by the Blue Devils.

Tyus Battle, a four-star shooting guard in the 2016 class, originally committed to Michigan but then re-opened his recruiting process back up. He would go on to a stellar three-year career on the Hill.

On the 247Sports Web site, those were the only two ‘Cuse players whom I could find who had Duke offers but committed to the Orange out of high school.

Let’s look at a few other players with Syracuse basketball and Blue Devils connections.

Michael Gbinije, a four-star prospect in the 2011 cycle, originally played for Krzyzewski & Co. before transferring to the ‘Cuse. Gbinije helped lead the Orange on a wonderful run to the 2016 Final Four.

Cole Swider, who recently transferred from Villanova to Syracuse basketball, was a four-star prospect in the 2018 class. Out of high school, the forward originally selected the Wildcats over several other finalists that included the ‘Cuse and Duke.

Turning toward the future, there are a couple of high-school players who have scholarship offers from both Syracuse basketball and the Blue Devils.

In the 2022 class, you’ve got four-star point guard and Central New York native J.J. Starling, who took an official visit to the Hill not too long ago.

Then there’s also four-star power forward Kyle Filipowski. He has visited both the ‘Cuse and Duke. His offer from Syracuse basketball came a few months ago, while his Blue Devils offer is more recent.

In the 2023 cycle, four-star power forward G.G. Jackson, whose stock is soaring in this class, received his first offer from a college team last August, and it was the Orange. Duke, meanwhile, offered Jackson on June 21 of this year.