How Duke basketball's Jon Scheyer continued Coach K's elite recruiting streak in 2022 class

Beating out Kentucky for a five-star prospect.

Continuing a churn of potential NBA lottery picks.

Contending annually for the nation’s top signing class.

If the first five months of coach-to-be Jon Scheyer’s Duke basketball tenure are any indication, the Blue Devils are going to be just fine from a recruiting perspective after Mike Krzyzewski’s looming retirement.

“It would be foolish to think there would be a drop-off,” ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi told the USA TODAY Network. “Duke is one of the most historic brands in college basketball.”

At the same time, Biancardi said, Scheyer’s rapid construction of the No. 2 overall 2022 recruiting class in the nation entering this week’s early signing period isn’t something to gloss over as commonplace.

It’s further confirmation that Scheyer has “all the attributes of a head coach” as he prepares to replace Krzyzewski after the 2021-22 season, Biancardi said – and that’s both on the court, where he graduated from All-American Duke swingman to influential Duke assistant, and off it, where his personality shines.

“Jon can connect with an 18-year-old or an 80-year-old,” Biancardi said with a laugh.

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The former has especially proved true since June, when the 34-year-old Scheyer (an ace recruiter in his current associate head coach role) was announced as the 74-year-old Krzyzewski’s coaching successor and immediately went to work on the 2022 trail.

The end results?

Five-star Pennsylvania center Dereck Lively II, the No. 2 overall recruit in the country per 247Sports composite rankings, headlines a potent four-man class alongside five-star Florida forward Dariq Whitehead (No. 5), five-star Massachusetts center Kyle Filipowski (No. 8) and four-star Illinois shooting guard Jaden Schutt (No. 56). All four players plan to sign letters of intent this week, per On3Recruits.

The Blue Devils are also dueling with UCLA to land the commitment of No. 16 overall recruit Mark Mitchell, a five-star forward from Kansas who officially visited Durham for Countdown to Craziness last month. The race is a “dead heat,” one national analyst wrote, as Mitchell nears his December decision.

Biancardi has scouted all four of Duke’s 2022 verbal commits, and “what I love about all of them is that not only are they talented, but they’re unselfish,” he said. “For Jon, having guys who are high character is important for that first year – you want to have guys that are highly projected and low maintenance.”

Lively is a 7-foot-1 center with essentially “everything you’d want in a big” besides a true low-post game, Biancardi said: he’s a multi-effort shot blocker and a strong rebounder, he glides up and down the floor with ease and he’s a creative scorer who already boasts a reliable face-up midrange and 3-point shot.

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Those skills helped Lively’s recruitment explode over the summer: he officially visited Kentucky and UNC, and Florida State, Michigan, Penn State and USC also made his top seven. But Scheyer’s staff went toe-to-toe with John Calipari’s Wildcats for months, landing Lively’s commitment in late September.

As for Whitehead, the 6-6 wing from Florida: Biancardi sees “unlimited upside” since Whitehead can already comfortably play and defend every position outside of center. And the 6-11 Filipowski’s footwork and fundamentals could make him “close to a double-double guy” as a Duke freshman.

“Those are three top 10 guys in the (ESPN Top 100) and they’re all NBA prospects, Lively being the highest,” Biancardi said, adding that 6-5 Schutt could also be an impact shooter for the Blue Devils.

As Duke signs its decorated class this week and waits out Mitchell’s December decision – which would push the Blue Devils back into 247Sports’ No. 1 spot, ahead of current leader Kentucky – Scheyer and fellow assistant coaches Chris Carrawell and Nolan Smith already have a head start on the class of 2023.

Caleb Foster, a five-star 2023 point guard at Virginia’s Oak Hill Academy and the No. 9 overall recruit in his class, verbally committed to Duke in September. The Blue Devils are also picking up some early 247Sports predictions to land five-star New Jersey forward and No. 3 recruit Mackenzie Mgbako.

Five months in, it’s an impressive Duke trajectory – and given Scheyer’s proven history as a “great player and an outstanding assistant” for the Blue Devils, ESPN’s Biancardi doesn’t see it slowing down soon.

Chapel Fowler is a recruiting reporter for The Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at cfowler@gannett.com or on Twitter at @chapelfowler.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke basketball, Jon Scheyer continue Coach K's elite recruiting