Several Top 2010 Prospects Invited to the Duke Elite Camp

When word broke out in mid – June that Duke will be having an Elite Basketball Camp in August many Blue Devil fans were justifiably excited, yet also seeking more information about Camp. The initial news broke when Dominique Ferguson mentioned in a few interviews that he would be attending the camp. Sources now tell Duke Basketball Journal that several other top prospects for the Blue Devils have been invited including Kyrie Irving, Roscoe Smith, Brandon Knight, Ray McCallum, Quincy Miller (class of 2011), and several other prospects. Additionally, it is believed that Duke recruits Andre Dawkins, Josh Hairston, and Tyler Thornton will be attending the camp as well. The camp is yet another example of how the Duke coaching staff has overhauled its recruiting efforts for the class of 2010.

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Ray McCallum Update

Duke Basketball Journal caught up with Ray McCallum at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp.  Ray was kind enough to discuss both his general and Duke recruiting experiences so far, as well as his plans for deciding on a school.  Here are the takeaways:

1) McCallum mentioned that he has visited Duke twice up to this point, most recently for the Tournament of Champions.  He’s spoken with Coach K a couple of times on the phone, while Coach Collins and Nate James have each individually attended workouts that McCallum has participated in.  Additionally, Ray has spoken with James and Collins over the phone and via email a few times as well. 

2) Last year McCallum mentioned that Kansas was his early leader.  Although he still has a healthy interest in Kansas, McCallum no longer has a leader and says he is evaluating all schools equally.  Coach Self and Coach Dooley visited Ray earlier this year and he continues to have an ongoing dialogue with the KU staff.  Ray also noted that he likes the “style of play” at KU.

3) His list of schools is still quite long.  It includes Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma, Detroit, Michigan, Michigan State, Duke, Arizona, Notre Dame, Miami, Kentucky, Iowa, LSU, Memphis and possible a few others according to Ray.

4) When asked factors are most important to him in choosing a program McCallum stated that system and style of play were critical.  Additionally, he definitely wants to the chance to compete for playing time as a freshman and hopes to make an impact from day one.

5) McCallum does not have a time frame for choosing a school.  He plans on taking all 5 official visits and is not in a rush to make a decision.  He also mentioned that he is interested in possibly visiting Duke again, since the last time he was there it was a recruiting dead period.

6) It does not bother Ray that Duke and other schools are recruiting other top guards such as Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight.  He’s not afraid of competition on or off the court and considers the evaluating of other guards to be “just part of the recruiting process.”

7) When asked specifically what he liked about Duke so far McCallum said “Definitely the tradition and the practice facilities at Duke.  Those are two aspects that it’s hard for other schools to compete with.”

8. Ray sees himself as pure point guard in college, not a combo guard.  He likes being the leader and distributor.  McCallum plans to continue working on his shot in his quest to continue to improve his well rounded game.

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