Wendell Moore, 5-star recruit, commits to Duke over North Carolina

The five-star guard is Duke’s first commit in the 2019 class.

Duke has landed its first player in the 2019 class. Wendell Moore, a 6’6 shooting guard out of Charlotte, picked the Blue Devils over offers from North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest. This is Duke’s first commitment in the 2019 class.

Moore is ranked as the No. 18 overall player in his grade by ESPN. He’s a potential 3-and-D wing with great length (6’11 wingspan), an emerging shooting stroke and above-average athleticism. Moore is already a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball as a member of the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship team and the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup team.

Moore plays for Cox Mill High School and on Nike’s EYBL circuit for Team CP3. As a high school junior, Moore averaged 25 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.3 steals per game to help Cox Mill win its second straight state title.

This is a big commitment for Duke for numerous reasons. After missing on five-star guard Josiah James, who committed to Tennessee, Duke desperately needed to get a commitment in 2019. The Blue Devils also need help on the wing next year in a big way, as they are expected to lose wings R.J. Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson to the NBA. They also kept him away from rival UNC.

It remains to be seen if Duke can continue to recruit at an elite level without departed assistant Jeff Capel, who is now the head coach at Pitt.