What does Matt Coleman bring to Texas and where does Duke turn?

The long recruitment of Matt Coleman has come to an end. On Monday, the top-35 guard announced his commitment to Texas. Now we look ahead at what the commitment means for Texas and just as importantly for the runner up, Duke.

Things haven’t gone as planned in Austin this season. The Longhorns were predicted to finish within the upper tier of the Big 12 and began the year ranked in the national top 25. They lacked experience to start the season, but there was plenty of talent in the program. However, the roster was missing a true point guard. Matt Coleman won’t be able to help change the fact that Texas has more turnovers than assists this season, but with the proper pieces around him next year, the four-star point guard looks like ideal floor general that Shaka Smart’s Longhorns have been missing.

Outside of Jarrett Allen, no one on Texas’ roster this season is shooting over 50 percent from the field. This has occurred not because the Big 12 bunch lacks shot-makers but more so around the fact that the current personnel in Austin lacks for shot creators. Knowing good shot from bad shot has caused problems all year and the hope is that Coleman will be able to help change that next season by getting the ball to players in spots to score.

To keep defenders honest, Coleman is going to have to improve his jump shooting and off hand, but he shouldn’t be relied upon to score. With players like Kerwin Roach, Tevin Mack, Eric Davis, Jacob Young, and Jase Febres around him on the perimeter, the firepower should be there to stack up points.

While the Blue Devils entered the 2016-17 college basketball season loaded with talent, there were concerns about their point guard situation. The Blue Devils have played through injuries, suspension and now the absence of Mike Krzyzsewski as he recovers from surgery. Through all of that, their lack of a true point guard has been apparent. Point guard is going to be a hole for them again next season, so missing on a guy like Coleman puts them in a bind. As we see it, they are left with a few options.

OPTION A: Go all-in on Trevon Duval: There are two five-star point guards available in 2017 and Trae Young doesn’t have the Blue Devils on his list. That leaves Trevon Duval as the only elite option. The Blue Devils will surely put everything they have into recruiting him at this point.

The explosive playmaker out of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG has Duke in his final five along with Arizona, Baylor, Kansas and Seton Hall. There has been some buzz that the Blue Devils could be moving into a position of power for Duval, but anyone that says that they know where the five-star guard is leaning is likely guessing at this point.

OPTION B: Develop Frank Jackson: Entering the season, there was hope that Frank Jackson would slide into the lead guard position. While he did jump out of the gates scoring the basketball efficiently, the questions surrounding whether the former McDonald’s All-American could hold down the point guard position remain. Jackson is a natural scorer with pop in his legs and deep range, but he’s only got 25 assists in 18 games while playing just over 25 minutes a night. He can create off the dribble but needs to develop his playmaking to help ease the burden that Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen have as the team’s pseudo point guards.

OPTION C: Ride out the storm for a point guard in 2018: If Duke can’t land Duval, then landing a point guard from the 2018 class becomes extremely important.

As it stands, the Blue Devils look to be in the best position with five-star Darius Garland. The product of Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy visited in the fall and behind the scenes talks has been that he’s enamored with playing in Durham. Additionally, there have been some rumors that he could look into graduating early and playing as a 2017 prospect. If that’s the case, he could be a solution earlier than expected.

The other most likely option appears to be Tre Jones, the No. 26 player in 2018. Jones older brother Tyus Jones helped lead Duke to a National Championship and he’s quite familiar with the program. However, a real competitor for his services has emerged in the UCLA Bruins.

Either way, that is only two targets in the 2018 class so at some point the Devils will likely need to cast a wider net to prevent being in the exact same predicament a year from now.