Duke pledge Joey Baker, a five-star Class of 2019 prospect, announced Wednesday that he will reclassify to the 2018 class and join the Blue Devils program this fall.
It's the second time in the past year a Duke commit has reclassified, joining Marvin Bagley III who moved from 2018 to 2017 last year as the top-ranked recruit.
Though Baker doesn't have near the same pedigree as Bagley, he's a top-30 prospect in 2019 who, at 6-foot-7, could be an off-the-bench threat for Duke at the wing -- or even a redshirt candidate to grow and develop behind R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish, the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the 2018 class that are both Duke-bound this fall.
"I think it'll help me tremendously," Baker told 247Sports of his decision. "Playing against the top three players, RJ [Barrett], Cam [Reddish] and Zion [Williamson] every day in practice and learning from them and competing with them is going to force me to really grow as a basketball player. I'll learn a ton from them and get a lot better."
Baker's decision gives Duke an embarrassment of riches in 2018. The program was already enrolling a top-ranked recruiting class this year. Now with Baker now joining the fold, Duke currently boasts four top-15 commitments in addition to the newly-reclassified Baker who, despite being a five-star prospect, will be the lowest-ranked of the bunch.
