Patrick Baldwin Jr. is one of the truly elite players in the 2021 recruiting class.
The Sussex, Wis. native is a composite five-star recruit. 247Sports‘ composite rankings have him as the No. 3 recruit in the entire nation.
Baldwin only ranks behind No. 1 overall recruit Jonathan Kuminga among small forwards. He’s the top recruit in Wisconsin, a state well-represented in his new top 10 schools list.
In-state power Wisconsin cracks the list, as does local mid-major Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They’re joined by some of the powers of the sport. Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, UCLA, and Virginia make the cut.
Top ten š pic.twitter.com/Mt7G7mftWr
ā Patrick Baldwin Jr (@_pbaldwin23) May 10, 2020
Six college basketball recruiting analysts have registered predictions over at 247Sports’ crystal ball. All six believe Baldwin will follow in the footsteps of so many five-star recruits in recent years, and play for the Duke Blue Devils.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is reportedly enamored with Patrick Baldwin as a prospect. He was the first 2021 recruit offered by Duke, all the way back in 2018. According to an article in theĀ Chicago Tribune, Coach K has told friends that he sees Baldwin as “the perfect recruit.” If any statement from any college basketball coach could make a big impact on a recruit, that is probably it.
Baldwin’s grandfather went to Duke, so there are some deeper connections there as well. They might be tough to overcome here.