Duke is surprisingly adding another five-star prospect to its top-ranked 2018 recruiting class.
Five-star forward Joey Baker announced Wednesday he is reclassifying to 2018 and will enroll at Duke in the fall. Baker committed to the Blue Devils in October as a member of the 2019 class, but he will graduate high school a year early and enter college sooner than expected.
"The coaching staff and I felt it was the best option for this upcoming year," Baker told ESPN. "I'll be challenged to grow on and off the court."
Baker, ranked No. 15 in the ESPN 60 for 2019, is a 6-foot-7 forward from Trinity Christian School in North Carolina. Playing for Team Felton on the Under Armour Association circuit, Baker averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range over the past two weekends.
Baker is now the fifth five-star prospect in Duke's 2018 class, joining the top three prospects in the country -- R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish -- and five-star point guard Tre Jones.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is losing all five starters from last season, with Grayson Allen graduating and Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter Jr., Gary Trent Jr. and Trevon Duval all leaving early for the NBA draft.
