Duke landed the first commitment in its 2012 class today, multiple sources are reporting, as 6′-8″ small forward Alex Murphy of St. Mark’s (MA) made a verbal pledge. The forward is the brother of current Florida forward Erik Murphy, and considered by virtually every source to be a Top 15 player in the class of 2012. Murphy had interest from numerous D-1 schools, but is presumed to have picked Duke over the chance to play with his brother at Florida.
Interestingly, there is some talk of Murphy reclassifying and joining the class of 2011. Adam Finkelstein of ESPN is reporting that Murphy repeated his freshman year of high school and could possibly rejoin his original class. While the Blue Devils probably don’t need him for next year’s roster, as they did Andre Dawkins when he graduated early, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to have a prospect like Murphy on the roster.
Murphy seems ideally suited as a Duke player, with an offensive game that fits the system well. He has a well-rounded game, and while he won’t be a superstar on the next level, he does many things very well.
This is a huge score for Duke, and could be a building block for another elite level recruiting class. With Kyle Singler set to move on, Murphy seems to be the obvious inside-outside replacement on the roster. Additionally, Duke is mentioned favorably in the sweepstakes for what appear to be their current major targets in the 2012 class: wing prospects Shabazz Muhammad and Rasheed Sulaimon, and post Tony Parker. Sulaimon is set to be on campus for the Duke-North Carolina showdown, and a commitment thereafter would make Duke fans doubly excited.
Related posts:
February 8, 2011
Basketball Recruiting