Syracuse, N.Y. — Former Baldwinsville basketball star JJ Starling has picked up a scholarship offer from Duke, his father confirmed to Syracuse.com.
The highly recruited La Lumiere (Indiana) guard participated in a Zoom call Tuesday and was offered by soon-to-be Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer, who will replace Mike Krzyzewski at the conclusion of next season.
“He was so excited,” Patrick Starling said.
Starling’s relationship with Duke intensified after it was announced that Krzyzewski would retire from coaching at the end of the 2021-22 season, Patrick said.
Starling, a four-star prospect and the No. 54 ranked player in the Class of 2022, will also hold his official visit to Syracuse on the weekend of June 25-27, his father confirmed. He follows that visit up with a trip to Connecticut on June 28-30.
Starling had an official visit to Maryland earlier this month. His father said he met with most of the Maryland players and even played in a few pick-up games with the team.
Aside from Syracuse, UConn and Maryland, Starling is also being recruited by several other schools, including Alabama, Miami, Notre Dame, Washington, Northwestern and Stanford.
The national buzz around Starling has increased significantly ever since his transfer from Baldwinsville to La Lumiere last June. He’s grown to 6-foot-4 and a solid 200-205 pounds thanks to La Lumiere’s diet and nutrition specialists.
His latest stint with the AAU Albany City Rocks provided national recruiting analysts and college coaches a better look at his game. Often called one of the best shooters (off the catch and off the dribble) in the class of 2022, Starling also has a keen ability to attack the rim and absorb contact. He’s also dedicating more attention to the defensive side of the ball, which bodes well if he does decide to attend Syracuse.
However, Starling is in no rush to make a decision on which college he will attend just yet, despite being recruited by several powerhouse programs. He’s simply enjoying the process.
“He’s excited about everything that’s happening right now,” Patrick Starling said.
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