Duke boosted its Class of 2023 by adding five-star forward TJ Power on Wednesday.
Power ranks No. 24 in the class nationally and is the top recruit in his home state of Mass., according to the 247 Sports Composite. Last month, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound power forward narrowed his list of schools down to five — Boston College, Duke, Iowa, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Coach Jon Scheyer was already tracking toward his second consecutive No. 1 recruiting class, but Power’s commitment might put the Blue Devils over the top. Even if Power doesn’t continue ascending up the rankings — and he might, given his meteoric surge this summer — he’d represent Duke’s fifth top-25 talent in next year’s class, joining wing Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 5 overall, per the 247Sports composite), forward Sean Stewart (No. 9), and guards Caleb Foster (No. 13) and Jared McCain (No. 18).
That Scheyer beat out UNC — fresh off a national title appearance — for Power in the latest Tobacco Road recruiting rivalry only makes this commitment that much more consequential.
In fact, one could reasonably argue Scheyer is on an all-time recruiting heater. Ten top-30 commits in two years — all before his first game as Duke’s coach? It’s absurd, and the likes of which college basketball has never seen before. As far as Power himself, it also shows how much belief the player has in Scheyer and his developmental system.
At UNC, or any of Power’s other finalists, his pathway to playing time would have been guaranteed. Heck, Power starts at most of those places. At Duke, though? He knows he’ll be competing for minutes alongside Mgbako, Stewart, and whichever holdovers remain following this season — like Mark Mitchell or Kyle Filipowski, for instance — and still picked Duke.
What will be interesting to monitor, given Power’s choice, is how Duke uses him. Given Power’s size and skill, he reasonably can play anywhere from the 2 to the 4, although he might be best on the perimeter due to his thinner frame. Regardless, he figures to be one of Duke’s top shooters from the jump and one of its more creative offensive players.
As The Athletic’s C.J. Moore wrote this summer, Power is more polished than most incoming freshmen, which bodes well for his trajectory. One last thing to track with him: Power is also an accomplished baseball player (who throws lefty, despite shooting righty in basketball), and he has mentioned wanting to double-up collegiately if possible. Is that viable at a place like Duke, or does his decision signal a renewed focus on basketball alone?
(Photo: Bob Donnan / USA Today)
