Looks Like Jeremy Roach Has Three Primary Suitors

Pretty good list but we hope it’s not Kentucky, because we think we see them this fall.

On Tuesday evening, we learned that Jeremy Roach, a thoroughly loved Blue Devil, planned to take his bonus Covid year somewhere else - unless he gets enough interest from the NBA to stay in the draft.

He immediately becomes one of the best players in the portal and later in the evening, Adam Zagoria reported that Roach had three main transfer targets: Arkansas, Kentucky and St. John’s.

All would make sense in different ways.

Arkansas is rebuilding a roster and Roach would be a great asset for John Calipari. And since most of Kentucky’s roster went out the door right after Calipari did, new coach Mark Pope has a lot of playing time available.

The problem there is that, unlike Calipari, most people aren’t familiar with Pope’s system. And both guys are starting over and it’s hard to know how that will end.

And for Duke fans, we think the Blue Devils play Kentucky in the fall in the Champions Classic, so that would be uncomfortable (and Kentucky fans might be a bit uneasy about getting a Dukie, but they’d probably get over it).

Not that we have a voice and Roach shouldn't care what we think, but from here, St. John’s looks like a great bet.

First, Rick Pitino is a superb coach. Secondly, he tends to prefer smaller guards. And third, playing for Pitino in New York would give Roach maximum exposure. He cannot get that at either Arkansas or Kentucky, and both programs are going to get massive exposure this season. New York is just different.

However, NIL will certainly play a role as well and we’re sure that the bag will be heavier in Fayetteville or Lexington.

Whatever happens, our appreciation of Roach and his contributions to Duke will not diminish. He’s been special and his love for Duke is sincere. He’ll always be a special part of the program.

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