Notice, the question mark in the title, because fact is, none of the big web sites have confirmed this. Having said that, according to a blog on the Desert News, Carrick Felix has accepted a scholarship offer from Duke University.
This is huge news because this would be the first time ever Coach K has offered a scholarship to a juco player.
So who the heck is Carrick Felix? We did our homework and we came up with a lot. Hell, we checked out his Facebook page and it appears he even has a hot girlfriend. Something we think is important here at Big Duke Balls.
He’s a athletic 6′6 wing player originally from the state of Arizona. He currently plays for the College of Southern Idaho. He actually got a medical redshirt his first year, so he’s only played one season of basketball, thus he has three years of eligibility left.
Word on the street is that he has NBA-worthy Athleticism. He has long arms (a taller DeMarcus Nelson?) and brings a lot of energy to the table.
In high school he averaged 19.7ppg and 13 boards per game his senior year of high school, yet Scout only had him listed as a one-star player. In turn, he only got offers from mid-majors like Tulsa, San Francisco and Pepperdine to name a few. In the end, he decided to pass on the mid-majors and head to junior college to both improve his basketball skills and his academic standing. According to reports, he has achieved both.
According to Devils Illustrated:
During his time at CSI, Felix has not only worked hard on his basketball skills, but he has been an academic standout as well, making the coveted Dean’s list. He added about 15-20 pounds to his frame and has improved his ball-handling, shot selection and accuracy from the perimeter.
Felix started to get looks from bigger schools like USC and Nebraska (to name a couple). Led by Coach Nate James, Duke joined in late, but if the Desert News is correct, Felix was offered a scholarship and he accepted.
So what can we expect from Carrick Felix?
This is what one (non-Duke) assistant coach had to say about him:
Really active. Plays hard. Great run jump bounce. Good length. Long arms. Very aggressive slasher. Can rise and dunk with little to no running start. Solid shooter but that is an area that he is working on. Seems like a really driven kid, too.
While he has a ton of athleticism, he’s going to be a project, with a lot of upside though. In a perfect world, the Devils still land a solid small forward out of high school, either Terrence Ross or Trey Zeigler (and let’s not forget Quincy Miller at PF). Felix would be a solid burst of energy off the bench, playing heavy minutes, with a chance to start down the road.
While we preach patience with this kid, we’re excited. We’ve been saying for a long, long time that we wish the Duke coaching staff would find some juco players. With so many players leaving early or transferring, it’s important that all teams have players who have experience, players who can step in and play if and when someone leaves early.
