Duke basketball finally gets the memo about high-flying NC prep

Rakease Passmore is a show-stopping recruit and Duke basketball enthusiast.

Duke basketball mascot (Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports)

The recruiting strategy of Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer appears to center on prioritizing mostly wings and forwards who possess floor-spreading skill sets, long limbs, and high doses of athleticism.

Combine Academy (N.C.) small forward Rakease Passmore could fit the bill.

According to a tweet from SI.com's Jason Jordan on Thursday night, the Blue Devils and their UNC counterparts plan to visit the 6-foot-5, 180-pound four-star next week.

Passmore's quickly improving moves and reported 46-inch vertical, which he put on full display while filling up box scores on the Adidas 3SSB circuit this summer, have propelled him to No. 51 on the 247Sports 2024 Composite.

Not surprisingly, he has been piling up high-major offers, including four more this month, with Auburn, Georgia Tech, Kansas, and Oregon officially entering the fray.

But the high-flying junior, whose highlights bring to mind former Duke basketball one-and-done showman Cassius Stanley, still lacks the highly desired offer from the Blue Devils.

And as recently as early August, Passmore seemingly didn't even appear on the program's radar. He addressed that when speaking to Jordan at the time:

"Duke was the team I really liked when I started getting into basketball. I would love to hear from them, so we'll see what happens. For me, I just appreciate all the schools reaching out."

Roughly seven weeks after that comment, Passmore is at least attracting Duke's attention, albeit without any word of an offer in his hands thus far.

Earlier this week, several insiders reported the Blue Devils' intention to see five-star small forward Trentyn Flowers during their trip to Combine Academy. Pro Insight's Andrew Slater implied that, while there, they would be wise to check out Rakease Passmore.

It appears Duke got the memo.

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