Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
John Wall, the No. 1 basketball recruit in the nation, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had a phone conversation Monday night that could be the precursor to Duke offering Wall a scholarship.
“We talked about recruiting,” Wall said Tuesday in a text message.
Wall said he plans to take an unofficial visit to Duke, but it won’t be Wednesday when the Blue Devils play Lenoir-Rhyne in an exhibition.
“I’m going to visit but not this week,” said Wall, whose home is 45 minutes from the Duke campus.
With Kenny Boynton having picked Florida, Duke has now targeted the 6-foot-4 Wall to potentially replace Greg Paulus. The coaching staff recently reached out to the people in his inner circle. Duke pulled his transcripts and was pleasantly surprised. Wall took the SAT this past Saturday and he said he thinks the results will be “good.”
Wall, out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God, is also considering Kansas, Baylor, N.C. State, Miami, Memphis and Oregon State.
He and Derrick Favors recently visited N.C. State together unofficially, and Favors is now down to Georgia, Georgia Tech and N.C. State.
Asked if Favors’ decision would influence him, Wall said: “Not really but I would love to play with him or Renardo [Sidney].”
Wall will next visit Memphis the weekend of Nov. 14.
“I’m supposed to go to Memphis next week,” he said.
His mother suffered a mild stroke in August and had to have surgery.
Though she told him to make his college decision independent of that, remaining close to home appears to be an important part of his decision.
“She’s doing good,” Wall said of his mother. “She said she doesn’t want me to make my decision just because she’s sick. She wants me to make the best choice for me.”
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
John Wall, the No. 1 basketball recruit in the nation, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had a phone conversation Monday night that could be the precursor to Duke offering Wall a scholarship.
“We talked about recruiting,” Wall said Tuesday in a text message.
Wall said he plans to take an unofficial visit to Duke, but it won’t be Wednesday when the Blue Devils play Lenoir-Rhyne in an exhibition.
“I’m going to visit but not this week,” said Wall, whose home is 45 minutes from the Duke campus.
With Kenny Boynton having picked Florida, Duke has now targeted the 6-foot-4 Wall to potentially replace Greg Paulus. The coaching staff recently reached out to the people in his inner circle. Duke pulled his transcripts and was pleasantly surprised. Wall took the SAT this past Saturday and he said he thinks the results will be “good.”
Wall, out of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God, is also considering Kansas, Baylor, N.C. State, Miami, Memphis and Oregon State.
He and Derrick Favors recently visited N.C. State together unofficially, and Favors is now down to Georgia, Georgia Tech and N.C. State.
Asked if Favors’ decision would influence him, Wall said: “Not really but I would love to play with him or Renardo [Sidney].”
Wall will next visit Memphis the weekend of Nov. 14.
“I’m supposed to go to Memphis next week,” he said.
His mother suffered a mild stroke in August and had to have surgery.
Though she told him to make his college decision independent of that, remaining close to home appears to be an important part of his decision.
“She’s doing good,” Wall said of his mother. “She said she doesn’t want me to make my decision just because she’s sick. She wants me to make the best choice for me.”
