Duke Basketball is reportedly in a strong position to land Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell, a top-five player in the transfer portal. Illinois appears to be out of the running, leaving Duke and UCLA as the main contenders.
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Duke Basketball receives good news in transfer portal battle for top-5 player originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Duke Blue Devils haven't made a lot of noise in the transfer portal during this cycle. But there have been clear targets for Jon Scheyer and his staff over the greater part of the past two weeks. One of them is Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell.
One of the top-five players available in the portal has reportedly been between Illinois and Duke, with UCLA still in the mix. There's a clear reason why the Fighting Illini were firmly in the conversation for Blackwell this time around. His father, Glynn Blackwell, played for Illinois in the 1980s, and the recent success of the program has put them in contention for top talent.
However, Blackwell won't be a legacy recruit. "It sounds like Illinois is likely now out of the race for Blackwell, with Andrej Stojakovic announcing his return to the program," according to On3's Joe Tipton. "Currently, sources believe Duke and UCLA have the best chances of landing him."
This is great news for Scheyer and the Blue Devils, as UCLA doesn't have near the resources or family ties for Blackwell. The location of southern California might be attractive, but Mick Cronin and the Bruins aren't put together like what's happening in Durham.
John Blackwell is a top target for Duke Basketball due to his ranking as a top-five player in the transfer portal and the team's need for talent.
John Blackwell's decision is influenced by family ties to Illinois, but recent developments suggest Duke and UCLA are now the primary contenders.
Duke's recruitment of John Blackwell is seen as stronger than UCLA's due to better resources and a more appealing program environment.
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Blackwell averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season at Wisconsin. The soon-to-be senior would fill a gap for Duke and bring leadership to the table. This is a rare quality coming out of the portal with many underclassmen looking for a restart.