For a guy with basically no social media presence, it sure would be surprising if he chose the glam and spotlight at Puke. Seems like a Tony Bennett kid.
What I don’t get is a commitment that drags. Signs point to Knueppel wanting to be a Hoo? Then why wait to commit? He’s been to Marquette and Wisconsin, and he’ll learn nothing the world doesn’t already know about Duke on his visit. And Bama with their ability to put people into the league quickly? #14 5 star Brandon Miller? #17 5 star JD Davison? #21 5 star Josh Primo? Undrafted #33 four star Charles Bediako? Must be one incredible program there in Tuscaloosa to get those sacks of crap to the league.
If Kon thinks he’s a one and done, he’s not coming to UVA (and maybe/probably shouldn’t*). But if he thinks he needs to work on some things (cough defense cough), CTB’s program should be home for the next couple of years.
I don’t mind kids who leave early when, for various reasons, it becomes apparent they should - like Hunter, Jerome, Guy, and Murphy. What I can’t stand are the predisposed one and dones.
I mean, why not ask the opposite question? Why hurry to commit? The teams he’s interested in will have a spot for him a month from now - he’s not about to be recruited over. And he gets to take paid for trips to all those places - which is fun! - while also gathering a little more info that could maybe be helpful.
There’s zero downside to him waiting here. If it were my kid, I’d recommend he do the same. Recruits don’t need to operate on fans’ timelines.
Have to hope Mallory realizes he’s a 4 year guy (maybe even with a Bliss-like reclass/redshirt so in the end Chance is a '25 either way) so a 24 Kon who’d really only project for 2 years has little impact on Chance’s long career arc here.
I guess I look at it differently, especially in this particular case. There’s got to be some sort of diminishing return on the fun one can have on an official visit to a place one has visited multiple times. I would think. And maybe it’s my pure blinding hatred talking here, but I can’t imagine anything fun about a visit to Duke. And Bama? Fun? Not unless the visit includes a stop at Dreamland and an overnight in one of their bonkers sorority houses.
If you’re arguing that he should just commit to the schools that were on him early, then why UVa over Wisconsin or Marquette? We’re somewhat benefitting here from a kid using the process and not just committing super early to a home state school that have been on him forever.
And maybe a Duke visit doesn’t sound fun to you (or any of us), but it’s a big deal for most of these kids to be recruited by Duke and you don’t just refuse to visit. Whether they buy into the snake oil is the ultimate question.
I mean, I can, haha. Isn’t he going to Alabama for their first football games of the season? That sounds awesome.
And while I hate Duke sports, I still enjoy checking out other campuses and enjoyed checking out Duke’s (although UNC’s is significantly nicer). If somebody offered me a free trip, I would definitely take them up on it, especially if they’re going to wine and dine me. Although I would try and make it a condition of my visit that they take me to the Duke Lemur Center for a free tour.
The house does NOT always win. It wins more than it loses, so over the big picture and long term, it comes out ahead. But plenty of gamblers have spent a night at a casino and left with winnings.
That’s Duke. Yes, they’ll hit on more of their recruits than they’ll miss. But they miss on plenty.
If im 17, please dont feel bad for me going to Bama, Duke, or any other college town as many times as possible. Im taking ALL the visits. Tony Bennett can wait to teach me packline intricacies.