A late invite to the party, Jon Scheyer and Duke basketball landed yet another massive recruit with 7-footer Christian Reeves becoming a Blue Devil.
Duke fans were coming off a high. Just four days prior, Mark Mitchell, Rivals.com’s No. 11 player in the 2022 class, made public his commitment to the Blue Devils. Mitchell’s commitment gave Duke the Rivals.com No. 1 recruiting class and, more importantly, four of the top 11 players in the country.
On Monday night, Christian Reeves posted on social media that he would commit Tuesday evening. But what does Christian Reeves have to do with Duke, you may ask? It wasn’t even widely known that the Blue Devils had a connection with the big man.
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The industry projected Reeves to either Minnesota or South Carolina, especially after official visits to both schools.
As it turns out, Duke offered Reeves last week, and Rivals.com was the first to report that Duke was the new leader in the recruiting battle. The thought process for the Blue Devils in taking Reeves is that in an era of one-and-done players, the program wants to build depth with a supporting cast of players who will be there for multiple years.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about Reeves’ background. Immediately his 7-1 length pops off the page, and his listed size is legit. Reeves has noticeable mobility, gliding up and down the floor while still being able to wall up and protect the rim.
A senior at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, Reeves has expanded his offensive game. Always with touch and good hands, Reeves has shown comfort — and some consistency — in stepping out and knocking down threes. Reeves has a clear upside; not many his size have his hands or similar mobility.
The question mark with Reeves comes with his health. He has missed more games than he has played in his high school career. Many of these nagging injuries have to do with his body and frame growing into his size. The strength will come.
Reeves will have time, too. He will come to Duke understanding a redshirt season is ahead, essentially making Reeves a part of the 2023 class. It will give him time to acclimate to the college game. Most importantly, it will provide him with added time within the strength and conditioning program.
Jon Scheyer now has six members of his top-ranked 2022 class. The post-Krzyzewski recruiting era is just getting started, and Scheyer is passing the test with flying colors.