Duke basketball recruiting: Four-star PF TJ Power commits to Blue Devils’ top-ranked 2023 class

Duke bolstered its No. 1-ranked recruiting class on Wednesday with yet another big addition in the 2023 cycle, adding a commitment live on the 247Sports YouTube channel from four-star forward TJ Power. Power, a 6-foot-8 big man who rates as a top-25 player in his class and No. 1 from the state of Massachusetts, chose the Blue Devils over a long list of suitors that included Boston College, Iowa, North Carolina and Virginia. 

Power is coming off a strong summer showing on the AAU circuit and was one of the big risers in the latest recruiting rankings update, moving from the No. 121 player earlier this spring to No. 22 this month. The rise coincided with increased interest from schools at the high major level as Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas and others all formally offered this summer.

The Blue Devils entered the race with an offer in mid-July and seemingly sealed the deal weeks later after getting him on campus for an official visit by the end of the month. UNC, Notre Dame, Virginia and Iowa also landed him on official visits, but Duke made the strongest and most lasting impression.

“My visit [to Duke] really opened my eyes,” Power told 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein. “It’s pretty intimidating, the classes they bring in. When I got there, they really broke down the roster for me. I saw a niche for me and a spot where I think I can flourish. Jon Scheyer said he’s going to have my back through it all and will be in my corner. It gave me a lot of confidence.”

For Duke, Power’s commitment pushes the program into the driver’s seat to finish at No. 1 in the team rankings for the 2023 cycle with relative ease. It was already No. 1 in the rankings before his commitment, with all four of its previous pledges ranking as five-star talents in the top 20 of the national rankings. Power gives them a fifth commitment from a top-25 player in the class, which has not been done since Kentucky’s 2013 class that had six signees inside the top 20.