Duke losing a key piece in Boogie Ellis
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
Duke's top ranked recruiting class is taking a hit before they even arrive on campus.
Sources confirmed to Rivals.com that Boogie Ellis a four-star combo guard at San Diego (Calif.) Mission Bay has asked for and will receive a release from his Letter of Intent with the Blue Devils.
With five-stars Vernon Carey Jr., Matthew Hurt, Wendell Moore and four-star Cassius Stanley still onboard Duke's class still ranks No. 1, but make no mistake the loss of Ellis is a big one.
The biggest problem for Duke during the 2018-19 season was a lack of perimeter jump shooters. Jump shooting is Ellis' forte and he would have been key in making that weakness a strength. Previously, Ellis had been the "lowest" ranked of Duke's commitments but after a tremendous senior season he is actually poised to move past Stanley -- who just committed a few weeks ago -- in our final rankings when they are released next week.
Expect a full on feeding frenzy for the services of Ellis now that he will be back on the market. He's a pure scorer who can play the one or the two, he shoots very well from deep and he's gotten a little bigger and more athletic during his senior season. The chance to play the majority of his minutes at the point guard is expected to be a big factor when he makes his choice the second time around.
Prior to committing to Duke, Ellis took official and unofficial visits to Arizona, Georgia Tech, Memphis, North Carolina and San Diego State. Look for many of those schools to jump back in as well as several other big name programs in need of perimeter punch.