Amile Jefferson has committed to Duke University, becoming the Blue Devils’ second commit in the high school class of 2012, joining shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon. Jefferson, a 6-foot-8, 200 pound forward from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, played at Friends’ Central School in Philadelphia. His team has made consistent appearances in the national rankings over the past few years.
Duke entered the recruiting process for Jefferson late in the game, but were able to come on strong enough to snag the power forward, who is touted by Scout.com as the #3 power forward in the class of 2012. Jefferson was also considering Villanova along with Ohio State, North Carolina State, and Kentucky. “Duke was always a school I had interest in,” he said in an interview with Scout.com on January 15. “I’ve been talking to Coach K. You go there, you know you have a chance to compete for national championships and play with some of the best players in the country.”
Jefferson averaged 18.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for Friends’ Central during his junior season. He led the team to its third consecutive PAISAA title and was named Gatorade State Player of the Year. One of the reasons why Jefferson is a great fit at Duke is because like many of his future Blue Devils teammates, he is not used to losing. His high school team went 75-9 in his first three years there.
He recently finished the regular season for the Phoenix when Friends Central fell 55-53 to The Westtown School in the Friends School League semifinal. Jefferson led the way for Friends Central with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. They moved on to compete in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Tournament, where they capped off Jefferson’s illustrious high school career with a fourth consecutive state championship, finishing with a 22-5 record. Amile finished his senior season averaging 19.8 points per game and had a double-double in his team’s state title victory over The Westtown School.
Amile brings to Duke the perfect combination of strength, size, speed, and power. He’s the type of player that can hurt you all over the floor, with an uncanny ability to get to the hole and a quickly developing perimeter game. Head coach Jason Polykoff at Friends’ Central told Crazie-Talk that the most impressive part of Amile’s game was actually not one of his numerous physical tools. “One of the reason why so many schools wanted Amile was because besides his physical abilities he has such a high basketball IQ,” Polykoff said. “He’ll come into his college program with an understanding of the game that not all freshmen have.”
Polykoff contended that although Amile is one of the top seniors in the country, he still has some work to do before he takes his game to the next level. “He knows that he needs to get stronger and ready to play against these other guys that have these developed bodies. He knows he needs to improve his outside shot,” Polykoff said. “He can handle the ball for someone his size but he can always work on his perimeter game and attack the ball off the dribble. He finishes pretty well but now he’s got to be ready to finish with contact.”
His coach also told Crazie-Talk that Duke’s main draw for Jefferson was its tradition of excellence both on and off the basketball court. Playing for Mike Krzyzewski, arguably the greatest basketball coach on the planet, is quite the draw, but Jefferson truly desired to play in awinning basketball environment. But according to his coach, Duke means more to Amile than just basketball. “I think Duke basketball aside, the academic reputation of Duke is very appealing to him,” Polykoff added. “He’s a kid that is used to going to rigorous academic schools throughout middle school and high school. If you can combine high academics with a good basketball program, that’s kind of his niche.”
One of the most impressive facets of Amile’s game is his unselfish outlook on the game of basketball. He is the type of player that will do whatever it takes to help his team win a basketball game, whether that is scoring 30 points or taking two shots and pulling down 15 rebounds or blocking five shots. “It’s very rare for somebody of his skill nowadays to be more concerned about the team than the individual, and he’s been doing that since he was a freshman, Polykoff said. “He just wants to win.”
The addition of Jefferson is a significant victory for the Blue Devils in what has proved to be a very difficult recruiting season. He will add extra depth to the team next year and has the potential to develop into a prolific scorer in years to come. His devotion to academics as well as basketball and the Duke basketball tradition indicates that Amile intends to stick around- don’t expect a one and done from this kid. Before he tries to take his talents to the pros, he wants to win a ring or two. Polykoff was adamant that the sky truly is the limit for Amile Jefferson. “If he improves the way he’s improved over the last four years, he’s one of the best seniors in the country right now I don’t see why he couldn’t remain one of the best players in the country at the college level.”
Welcome to the Duke basketball family, Amile. See you in August.
Crazie Talk 