Five-star Dawkins headed to Duke
A number of players lives changed on Thursday night when David Stern said their name over the podium at the NBA Draft. Andre Dawkins didn't hear his name called at Madison Square Garden but his life changed because he made a big time college decision.
Dawkins made the call to Duke University and committed to the ACC powerhouse on Thursday night.
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"I took a visit there on Monday and really felt comfortable with it," Dawkins said. "I felt really comfortable with the players and, of course, Coach K speaks for himself. I talked to him for a while and he made me feel like I was wanted there."
The sharp-shooting five-star player from the class of 2010 makes perfect sense in Duke's style of play. Dawkins said he liked the opportunity to shine in the Blue Devils system.
"Coach K told me that they will be losing some guards and with the way that they play their guards, there was a good opportunity for me to go in and play there right away," Dawkins said. "It just seemed like a great fit for me style wise."
Academics were also a major selling point, Dawkins said.
"That's a big part of it. That was extremely important to me in a lot of ways," Dawkins said.
Georgetown and Maryland were also in it down the stretch, Dawkins said. Steve Wojciechowski was the lead recruiter for the five-star and Dawkins is the first player to commit to Duke in the 2010 class.
Dawkins was on campus at the same time as 2010 five-star Josh Hairston, a 6-foot-8 forward from Virginia.