Future Duke basketball guard Caleb Foster helping program recruit
Last September, five-star point guard Caleb Foster, then at Oak Hill Academy (Va.), became the first 2023 Duke basketball commit.
Almost a year later, Foster, who transferred to Notre Dame High School (Calif.) for his senior year, seems to be helping Duke sway its only remaining bonafide 2023 target: Worcester Academy (Mass.) power forward TJ Power.
According to a tweet from SI.com national recruiting insider Jason Jordan on Tuesday night, Foster said his "one wish for the summer is to get a commitment from TJ Power."
Given Kentucky's five-star surge in the 2023 arena as of late, the Blue Devils could use a pledge from Power if they hope to strengthen their standing atop the 247Sports 2023 Team Rankings.
Currently, neither the 247Sports Crystal Ball nor the Rivals FutureCast projects a winner in the Power sweepstakes. However, despite no named finalists yet, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine paints it as a five-team race, with Virginia holding a slight advantage over Duke, UNC, Notre Dame, and Iowa.
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Last week, Power took an official visit to both Duke and UNC. He had already checked out the Notre Dame, Iowa, and Virginia campuses.
Power recently said he plans to choose a winner in his recruitment sometime in the fall. But as noted above, Foster is doing his best behind the scenes to give first-year Duke head coach Jon Scheyer a significant win in the remaining weeks of summer.
The Duke basketball recruiting target's continued emergence
TJ Power ranks only No. 63 on the 247Sports 2023 Composite. His stock, though, appears on the rise.
Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports implied as much this week by referring to Power as one of the premier stretch-fours on the Nike EYBL circuit while offering the following assessment and recap of his budding game:
"Power came up the ranks as a two-sport star who doubled as a left-handed pitcher on the baseball diamond. Of course, he played basketball as a righty, illustrating how he was literally ambidextrous. While he's been a high-major prospect for years now, his recruitment blew up this summer in correlation to the gains he has made as a 3-point shooter within the last year, as he is now stretching the floor with accurate consistency."
Finkelstein continued:
"That shot-making ability complements other well-rounded ball skills as he can take the ball off the glass and start the break himself and is also a heady passer. Power is a well-rounded athlete with mobility and agility at his size that makes him fluid on both ends of the floor. He's a fifth-year senior, and older for his grade at that, which has to be a consideration when projecting him out long-term."
If TJ Power chooses Duke, he'd be the first four-star addition to Scheyer's top-shelf haul. The four prizes to date are five-stars: Foster plus shooting guard Jared McCain, small forward Mackenzie Mgbako, and power forward Sean Stewart.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.