Duke landed yet another five-star prospect on Thursday when the Blue Devils secured the commitment of Wisconsin Lutheran High School star Kon Knueppel. Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff beat out schools such as Marquette, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan State to land Knueppel, who is ranked No. 15 overall in the 2024 class. Below, Rivals explores what Duke is getting in its newest pledge as well as what it means for the bigger picture.
WHAT DUKE IS GETTING
Knueppel will tell you that he has a bit of “old man game” to him, but his skill set goes well beyond jumpers and posting up smaller defenders. One of the best shooters in the 2024 class, Knueppel manages to be hyper-efficient in everything he does and wastes almost no motion. His broad-shouldered frame lends him versatility on both ends of the floor and allows him to get to his spots and take advantage of matchups. He’s not jump-out-of-the-gym athletic, but he moves fluidly for a prospect with his build and knows how to use his size to impact games on both ends. He shines as a passer and seems to always make the right decision with the ball in his hands, whether that be an extra pass or taking the occasional defender off to the bucket. Knueppel was one of the most prolific scorers in the EYBL and shined brightest against top-flight competition. He has the tools to make an instant impact in the ACC.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE BLUE DEVILS
Knueppel is Duke’s third commitment of the cycle and it seems as though the Blue Devils are well on their way to taking at least one more prospect, whether that be Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe or somebody else. Point is, people that pondered what contemporary Duke recruiting would like following head coach Jon Scheyer’s statement about taking fewer freshmen haven’t seen much of a change just yet. It now seems likely that the Blue Devils will once again be in the mix to land the country’s top class.
