Matthew Hurt Commits To Duke

Matthew Hurt Commits To Duke

The 6-foot-9 forward from John Marshall High School (MN) announced for the Blue Devils on Friday.

Apr 19, 2019 by Adam Zagoria
Matthew Hurt Commits To Duke

Matthew Hurt is headed to Duke.

The 6-foot-9 forward from John Marshall High School (MN) announced for the Blue Devils on Friday over other blue bloods like Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina as well as Memphis. Hurt turns 19 on Saturday.

Hurt joins a recruiting class that includes guard Boogie Ellis, wing Wendell Moore and big man Vernon Carey Jr., and is now ranked No. 1 in 2019 by 247Sports.com. Like Hurt, Moore and Carey Jr. played in last month's McDonald's All-American Game.

Together, they will have the unenviable task of following a historic recruiting class that was highlighted by Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish. Williamson is the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, while Barrett is a projected top-3 pick and Reddish should go in the Top 10.

"I think (Matthew) is excited about playing with Vernon Carey, Wendell Moore and Boogie Ellis, but it wasn’t a situation where the other players in the class recruited and sold Matthew on Duke, like happened with Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor," Richard Hurt, the player's father, told 247Sports.com. "It was about who was coming back with the experience they have.”

Hurt said Duke has compared him to past wings Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram, both now in the NBA.

“I could be a big impact both on the offensive and defensive end,” Hurt said of how he could fit in at Duke.

Note: Duke currently has the No. 1 recruiting class per 247Sports.com.

Hurt may only be at Duke for one season since he's currently projected as the No. 16 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, per ESPN.com.

Kansas had long been linked to Hurt and at one time was considered the favorite. Kansas head coach Bill Self coached Hurt last June on the USA U18 team that won gold a at the FIBA Americas Championship in Canada.

Instead, Hurt is now a Blue Devil. And Duke isn't done yet, either.

The Blue Devils are the favorites on Monday to land Cassius Stanley, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Sierra Canyon (CA). Stanley is ranked No. 29 by ESPN.com.

“Everybody is cognizant of the fact that at the NCAA level, playing all freshmen doesn’t always translate to winning a championship,” he added. “That is something he’s cognizant of, so having guys like Tre, Javin DeLaurier, and some other experienced players with the talent of the freshmen was a good combination.”

Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who runs ZAGSBLOG.com and contributes to The New York Times. Follow Adam on Twitter.

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