Harry Giles (Photo : Twitter)
The biggest names in College basketball recruiting in the past half decade have been Kentucky and Duke.
Since 2010, the top recruiting class has been either Kentucky or Duke. 2015 was no different, as the two schools disputed the top class ranking despite the decision of 2015 top ranked player Ben Simmons' decision to choose LSU.
Kentucky had the edge over Duke because of Jamal Murray's reclassification in 2015, but Duke already has the early start on 2016 by taking top 2 recruit Jayson Tatum. Now, both teams have their sights set on Harry Giles, the no.1 ranked high school player in the nation.
At this stage, the Blue Devils are the acknowledged favorites, according to Fansided. While the alleged "package deal" with Tatum is not set in stone, it remains a huge factor, among other reasons.
"Besides developing two of the NBA's best young big men in Jahlil Okafor and Jabari Parker in the past two years, Giles was teammates with recent Blue Devils' commit Jayson Tatum for the USA U-19 team that won gold."
Coach K's influence is still Duke's best weapon, but Kentucky's John Calipari has his own claim to fame as the best coach in grooming NBA players.
Kentucky is still granted a scheduled visit by Harry Giles, and the timing could not be any better, according to CN2.
"Kentucky's certainly in there," says Evan Daniels, who is Scout.com's director of basketball recruiting, as he talked to KSTV. "Duke is probably the school to beat at this stage, but I think Kentucky is certainly within striking distance, and the fact that they have him coming in for Big Blue Madness is a feather in their cap."
Big Blue Madness is the school's big kickoff to the sports' season and will be a grand display of their success. Recent UK commit, Sacha Killeya-Jones who is also a good friend of Giles will also be there to attend.
Giles' decision to attend the event means he is really still considering Kentucky and it could be a make or break situation for the school.
