Blue Devil Country

Duke Basketball Signee Addresses Exhausted Rumors Again

Isaiah Evans reiterated that his Duke basketball commitment has been unwavering.

Matt Giles

Photo credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Sports
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Make no mistake, North Meck High School (N.C.) five-star forward Isaiah Evans, No. 13 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, has expressed nothing but excitement about his Duke basketball career ever since pledging allegiance to the Blue Devils in April.

Even so, in early November, less than two weeks after Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff snagged the top-ranked recruit in the class, Montverde Academy (Fla.) five-star forward Cooper Flagg, chatter surfaced about a potential decommitment among the Blue Devils' five 2024 prizes. And Evans' name popped up the most.

Within the following week, though, Evans and the rest put those rumors to bed by inking their national letter of intent during the early signing period.

Nevertheless, Evans continues to get asked about his commitment to the Blue Devils. That was again the case on Friday night in his brief chat with The Charlotte Observer following 8-0 North Meck's 87-44 road win over Mallard Creek:

"I don't really know where it came from," Isaiah Evans said about the rumors while coming across as somewhat annoyed by the question. "I've been 100 percent on Duke since I committed."

It sounds like the 6-foot-6, 170-pound Evans, a bucket-getting wing whose frame and game resemble 2015-16 Duke basketball one-and-done Brandon Ingram, foresees nothing short of an ideal on-court bond between his skillset and that of the 6-foot-9, 200-pound Flagg, more in the mold of 2016-17 Blue Devil forward Jayson Tatum.

"I don't know about similarities [in our games]," Evans noted when asked about them in the interview. "I just think that we're going to mesh really good.

"He's a dog, and I'm a dog. And dogs compete."

They're set to arrive on campus in the summer alongside Wisconsin Lutheran five-star forward Kon Knueppel and a pair of Paul VI Catholic (Va.) teammates in five-star center Patrick Ngongba II and four-star forward Darren Harris. The collection ranks No. 1 in the country.

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Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.

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Matt Giles
MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of Duke Blue Devils on SI, North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, and NC State Wolfpack on SI, making him a key source for comprehensive coverage of these storied college basketball programs. Since joining SI in 2022, Matt has been dedicated to providing in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive content on all three teams. He covers everything from game previews and recaps to player profiles and recruiting updates. Matt's expert knowledge of these teams has made his work a go-to resource for fans and followers of Duke, NC State, and UNC. As publisher, he shapes the editorial direction, ensuring that the most relevant and timely information reaches his audience.

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