Duke has locked in two more official visits in the month of June. Five-star small forward Dariq Whitehead is scheduled to visit on June 11th, per Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated. On June 29th-July 1st, four-star center Dereck Lively II will make his official visit to Duke, per Jack Weingarten of Stockrisers.
Dariq Whitehead is a six-foot-six, 190 pound small forward out of Newark, New Jersey. He is currently the 8th ranked recruit in the class of 2022. There is no question Whitehead is one of the best players in the 2022 class.
Whitehead is an elite athlete who has a natural feel for the game. He is a smooth operator on the perimeter. Whitehead is comfortable putting the ball on the floor and creating his own shot and can score in a number of different ways.
Whitehead’s athleticism alone makes him extremely difficult to deal with, but his skillset takes his game to an even higher level. He has a tight handle and he’s also shown an ability to create for his teammates. He is an underwhelming, but capable, three point shooter.
Whithead’s defensive versatility is impressive. He can comfortably defend at least three positions. He is a strong, tough defender who takes pride in hounding opponents on the perimeter. Whitehead is difference maker on both ends of the floor.
Dereck Lively is a seven-foot-one center out of Norristown, PA. He is the 35th overall ranked recruit in the class of 2022 and the fourth ranked center.
Lively moves extremely well for someone his size. He excels at rolling to the basket in pick and role situations and always does a good job at running the floor in transition. His mobility is arguably the best quality of his game.
Lively has nice touch around the basket, but where he especially excels is being a lob threat. He knows how to position himself for the lob and is a reliable finisher. He’s also shown he is capable shooter, occasionally flashing the ability to knock down threes.
Lively is a terrific rim protector. He has major leaping ability, which combined with his seven-foot-one height and seven-foot-two wingspan make him an extreme deterrent at the rim. Lively has built a reputation as being one of the best rim protectors in the class of 2022. Lively is also an excellent rebounder.
Duke also has visits from five-star small forward Mark Mitchell and four-star power forward Kyle Filipowski scheduled from June 28th-29th. With these four players all set to visit Duke in the near future, Duke will have an opportunity to host visits from four of the best players in the class of 2022. The month of June is shaping up to be very busy and could be when Duke lands its first commitment from a player in the class of 2022.