Decommitted recruit must want Duke basketball to enter race

A heralded five-star continues to mention Duke in interviews.

Duke basketball recruiting prospect Mookie Cook (Landon Bost-USA TODAY Sports)

The Duke basketball recruiters may not have much room for Compass Prep (Ariz.) small forward Mookie Cook in their supremely loaded 2023 class.

After all, the Blue Devils already boast commitments from two five-star 2023 forwards in Mackenzie Mgbako and Sean Stewart, not to mention five-star 2023 guards Caleb Foster and Jared McCain.

Still, Cook seems to bring up Duke in just about every interview he gives these days after decommitting from Oregon in late June (the Ducks remain in contention for his services, though).

A Duke basketball visitor who doesn't hold a Blue Devil offer?

This week, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound five-star, who ranks No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2023 Composite and will debut as an actor playing LeBron James in a biopic on Peacock next year, informed Dushawn London of 247Sports that the interest coming out of Durham is real, albeit somewhat limited:

"Right now, I've been talking to Oregon, Arizona, G League, Kentucky, and a little bit of Duke. I don't really have a timeline now — just been weighing all my options."

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Cook then pointed out his visit plans, again implying that the Blue Devils could be instant contenders should they officially enter the mix:

"I'm looking to take a visit to Arizona and possibly Duke and Kentucky."

Here is what Mookie Cook said to London about the interest from the Duke coaches specifically:

"It's real smooth, but they haven't been contacting me that much."

Perhaps the Blue Devils will ramp up their efforts soon. Or maybe they won't. Either way, one would think that it is never a bad strategy to stay on the mind of as many top-notch five-star prospects as possible.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.