by Alex Schwartz

The 09 Southern Jam Fest featured many players committed to top-notch DI programs, and a number of those were ACC schools, considering that the tournament was held in Virginia. North Carolina and Duke both had their full 2010 classes on display, while Wake Forest had three of its four commits in attendance. After catching up with one third of the Duke-bound juniors a few weekends ago at the Providence Jam Fest, Andre Dawkins, I spoke with the other two future Blue Devils, Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton, this weekend. The duo both play for DC Assault Gold, one of the best AAU teams on the East Coast, and actually committed to the national power on the same day.

Tyler Thornton of Gonzaga (DC) is considered one of the smartest floor generals in the nation, and that shows when you consider who his finalists were: Villanova, Stanford, Georgetown, and Duke. Those are four high-major programs with great history that make the NCAA Tournament just about every year, and they are also four of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country. "My parents have stressed [academics, and] . . . if my grades weren’t in order, I couldn’t play," said Thornton, who claimed a great 3.4 GPA. Academics were not the only factor that led Tyler to decide on Mike Krzyzewski and Co. though. "I was getting courted by a lot of schools up and down the East Coast [and] I visited a lot of schools, [but I felt that] . . . Duke was the best school for me. [I loved the] . . . family atmosphere that I felt," stated the 6'1 point guard. What is it like for Thornton to know that he will be attending college with current AAU teammate Josh Hairston? "Having somebody like a brother-figure decide to go to the same school as you is a blessing," said Tyler, adding, "[We will] go through the struggles together as freshman." Although the other Duke-pledge from the class of 2010, Andre Dawkins of Atlantic Shores Christian (VA), does not run with DC Assault, Tyler does indeed know him. "Andre [and I are] real cool, from when he used to live in Maryland. . . . He is a tremendous player." A solid athlete with a nice basketball IQ and good grades in the classroom, Thornton is exactly the type of player that Duke goes after, and he has a chance to be Coach K's next great guard.

The most highly touted player from the class of 2010 who is committed to Duke is Josh Hairston of Courtland (VA). The 6'7 combo forward is an athletic player who can bang down low and also knock down jumpers, and he will be a nice fit on Tobacco Road. As previously mentioned, Tyler Thornton knows Andre Dawkins because that two used to live near each other, but Hairston knows Dawkins because they are former teammates and actually used to talk about attending Duke together. "I’m not going to say he had a whole lot to do with it, but he put in his little bits and pieces. When I used to play for Boo Williams 15s, he used to say we were going to Duke together. . . . I think he had a little bit to do with it," replied Hairston when I asked him how much of a factor Dawkins' "recruitment" of him to also go to Duke was. Speaking of players recruiting one another, Hairston is doing that as well: " am, I’m doing a lot [of recruiting]. . . . We all talk to Harrison [Barnes], but what we don’t want to do is push the envelope too much." Josh, who said his decision came down to Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Georgetown, Virginia, and Duke, said the following when I asked him how he decided on the Blue Devils: "I ended up having a big spring and summer last year [and more offers came in]. . . . I went down [to Duke] a few times [and former DC Assault player] . . . Nolan Smith is there. . . .The Duke community embraced us, and I love it a lot down there." Once in Durham, Hairston will be able to re-unite with a former teammate in Dawkins and continue balling with a current teammate in Thornton, so he already has some chemistry with the pair. That could make the Duke 2010 class—which also includes Liberty transfer Seth Curry—very scary.

Note- photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/