Austin Rivers, the No. 1 basketball recruit in 2011, informed Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self and North Carolina Tarheels head coach Roy Williams that he won't be attending school with them and he's chosen Duke.
Rivers broke the news to Kansas coach Bill Self and North Carolina's Roy Williams, the coaches of two of Rivers' top three choices, on Thursday morning. Rivers canceled the remainder of his campus visits, including one he was planning to take to North Carolina this weekend.
I gotta admit: I'm not an expert when it comes to basketball recruiting. However, ESPN.com's writeup is full of high praise.
The 6-foot-4, 189-pound Rivers could have an immediate impact once he gets to Cameron in Duke's up-tempo, fast-breaking style of play. He is a prolific scorer, has range out to 28 feet and an excellent mid-range game. He uses the jab-step as well as seasoned pros, can finish through contact when attacking the basket and has the best NBA-level floater over bigs of any player in the high school or college ranks.
Somehow I think KU will survive without him.