WHEN Deng Gak first arrived at New Jersey’s Blair Academy, his college recruitment was extremely quiet.
At the beginning of 2015, the Sudanese-Australian talent was based at Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence, and had only received interest from a small handful of programs.
Fast-forward eight months, and Gak’s recruitment is picking up steam, with Duke University emerging as the latest powerhouse to offer the 2.10m big-man; Hall of Fame head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, calling the 17-year-old to extend the scholarship offer, himself.
“I spoke to him for the first time yesterday!” Gak told foxsports.com.au after receiving the offer.
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Duke took notice of Gak, who’s in the college class of 2017, as soon as he arrived at Blair’s campus, and quickly developed a relationship with him.
The program’s assistant coaches, Jeff Capel, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith, made it out to Nike EYBL events in Brooklyn and Indianapolis over the past few weekends to watch Gak play for the PSA Cardinals, and extended the scholarship offer after just a few games.
“Coach Scheyer is the coach that first started recruiting me around October last year, and he’s been in contact with me ever since then,” Gak said.
“The offer is huge. It lets you know that all of your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, and that you’re definitely on the right track.”
Gak, who was born in Cairo, Egypt,before moving to South Sudan, then ultimately Sydney, Australia, recently received offers from the University of Kansas, University of Miami, and the University of Connecticut, with some of those programs having already developed deep ties with the big-man.
Duke is the alma mater of Miami Heat forward, Luol Deng, who is somewhat of a hero for Gak, and one of the reasons he chose to attend Blair Academy.
The school also has its Australian ties, with Victoria’s Jack White – who was a long-time teammate of Gak on several junior national teams - having recently signed with the school.
“I’ve spoken to Luol Deng heaps about his time at Blair,” Gak said in September. “It’s huge because he’s also Sudanese, so he’s pretty much been through the same stuff I’ve been through, and am currently going through. He’s definitely somebody I look up to.”
The University of Miami is also interested in Gak’s services, and has recently signed one of his former teammates in Victoria’s Dejan Vasiljevic. The school is also relatively close to the University of Florida, who received a commitment from Gak’s brother, Gorjok, this past week.
“I definitely thought about (the relationships). I’m not too sure right now if that’ll make a difference on where I decide to go,” Gak said.
“But, it’ll definitely be a comfortable bonus going somewhere where I know others.”
Gak is just the latest Australian who’s chosen the US high school pathway – joining the likes of Ben Simmons, Isaac Humphries, Thon Maker, and Jonah Bolden – and, as expected, it’s paying dividends.
While Gak’s recruitment is moving at an incredible pace, he’s intent on being patient, and taking everything in stride.
“It’s been a long (and still ongoing) process. The college recruitment stuff is all really cool, it’s just amplified times-100 because you’re so much closer for coaches to access, plus all of the showcases,” Gak said.
“I’m just going to take my time with it all, and really think about it before I make a decision. I’ll probably be cutting my options soon, but there’s no exact timeline on any of it.”