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Jeff Borzello
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Jeff Borzello
Basketball recruiting insider
- Jeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.
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Paul Biancardi
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Paul Biancardi
Basketball Recruiting
- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. announced his commitment to Duke on Tuesday, moving the Blue Devils to the top of the recruiting class rankings.
Rippey chose Jon Scheyer’s program over NC State, Tennessee, Miami and Texas. He took official visits to each of his finalists, as well as a couple of other schools, with the perceived favorite shifting a couple of times since the summer. But Duke turned up the heat on Rippey as the fall progressed and made him a priority in the backcourt.
«I felt like they fit my play style,» Rippey told ESPN. «They want to be on the attack on both offense and defense, and that is what I do best. My aggressive play style is different. My dream is to win a national championship. Coach Jon Scheyer recruits high-level talent and teaches those players how to play for each other. That’s the only way to win. Their plan for me is to come in to lead and make an impact on winning. I am all about both.»
Taylen Kinney to open the month of July, finishing with 22 points and 11 assists. In that game, he made a contested 3 to send the game into overtime, then the game-tying layup with six seconds left, followed by the game-winning steal and assist on the ensuing possession.
Rippey is the third five-star commitment in Duke’s 2026 class, joining No. 2 Cameron Williams and No. 17 Bryson Howard. The Blue Devils also have four-star center Maxime Meyer in the fold.
Despite getting a late start on its class — Howard didn’t commit until late October, and Williams pledged in mid-November — Duke is now atop the recruiting class rankings, moving from No. 3 to No. 1 with the addition of Rippey. If the Blue Devils finish out the cycle with the best class in the country, it would mark the third consecutive class that Scheyer has landed the top-ranked group.
«Coach Scheyer is a very smart coach,» Rippey said. «He is just as in tune with his players on the court as he is off the court, which is why Duke’s culture and standards are where they are today.»
Duke still remains in the mix for Jordan Smith, the top-ranked uncommitted guard in the class.
