Shades of Blue

Duke, Creighton both grab shooting stars to their 2024 rosters. Plus, what would promotion/relegation look like?

Author

Tristan Freeman
September 22, 2023

Today’s Daily has a blue tinge, as Creighton and Duke landed key commitments in the 2024 class. Guess which one got the 5-star prospect?

Let's get to Thursday’s news.

1. Duke adds its second 5-star for 2024

Kon Knueppel has developed a reputation for being one of the best true shooters in the 2024 recruiting class. The 6-5 small forward not only averaged over 22 ppg in the Nike EYBL circuit, he also shot over 45% from 3-point range.

The consensus 5-star prospect has had a quiet recruitment; no lists, no crystal balls. Yet recent visits to Duke and Virginia provided hints.

Another sign? The Duke X/Twitter account took exception to the Blue Devils not being at the top of the class of 2024 team rankings. It might be time to rethink that order.

Knueppel’s the third 2024 Duke commitment, joining top-50 wing Darren Harris and 5-star guard/wing Isaiah Evans. The Devils also are viewed as the favorite for No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg, though he’ll visit UConn this weekend.

There might be some concern that all three prospects play the same position. But given the lack of wings on the 2023-24 roster — Mark Mitchell will likely see a ton of time at the 3 — this won’t be an unfamiliar problem for coach Jon Scheyer to solve.

Regardless, the Blue Devils are loaded this year, next year, and the year after.

THE ALMANAC, VOL. 2

Freshmen to watch in 2023-24

Duke may have added a 5-star for next season’s roster, but what about this season? How many of the Blue Devils’ freshmen landed on The Almanac’s Top 25 freshmen?

There’s only one way to find out. Click here.

2. Blue Jays add a familiar name

Knueppel wasn’t the only 2024 recruit who decided to wear blue next season.

Larry Johnson (no, not that Larry) is a 6-4 shooting guard from California with great two-way potential. He’s a solid shooter, but thrives taking the ball to the basket and is an elite athlete. With star guard Trey Alexander likely leaving after the 2023-24 season, there’s a chance the 4-star prospect could play an immediate role.

“With all the space and shooters, with one of the key parts of my game being [going] downhill, I would be able to do it at a high rate because a lot of teams can’t help with all those shooters,” he told ESPN.

Johnson joins two other 4-star commits in the Bluejays’ class in point guard Ty Davis and wing Jackson McAndrew. Counting the five freshmen on the current roster, they’re set up to be a lot younger for the 2024-25 campaign.

3. Mountain West relegation plan

The saga with the two remaining Pac-12 programs, Oregon State and Washington State, continued Thursday. Both school presidents held a media call detailing their financial situation, how they’ll assess the future, and more.

Whether that future involves a merger of sorts with the Mountain West is TBD. Far more interesting with the two conferences is the idea that’s being floated around: A version of promotion and relegation.

“We have to think differently,” said one Mountain West athletic director who wished to remain anonymous. “We’re always trying to fit things in a box and we are always late to the party. How do we get in front of this?”

The Pac-2’s answer, some believe, should be to create a two-conference partnership with the Mountain West around a model similar to European soccer leagues, using a relegation and promotion system for football (and potentially other sports).

The goal is to create high-stakes matchups, scheduling alliances and a points system to fuel interest and excitement in college football’s lower tier. In theory, such a system would make these lower-resourced football programs more appealing to linear and streaming partners in a world where the industry is leaning on such income to survive.

“It’s time we admit what college football is: an entertainment product,” said one Mountain West administrator.

Relegation is a concept familiar to anyone who watches the Premier League or other non-MLS soccer. It’s a fun idea — especially when it doesn’t involve your team.

The top eight football teams would be in the “best” league, which means the Pac-2/12/MWC would retain the automatic berth to the College Football Playoff. They also would retain automatic qualifying spots in other NCAA Championship tournaments. The teams who finish at the bottom would move down to the lower tier (Mountain West).

Assuming college presidents don’t immediately bristle at the idea of their school being relegated, here’s how it might look for basketball:

New Pac-12 Conference

  • Washington State

  • Oregon State (would assume they get grandfathered in as original member to start out)

  • San Diego State

  • New Mexico

  • Nevada

  • UNLV

  • Utah State

  • Boise State

New Mountain West Conference

  • Air Force

  • Fresno State

  • San Jose State

  • Wyoming

  • Colorado State

  • South Dakota State

  • North Dakota State

  • Hawaii (would have to leave Big West for other sports)

It does have some appeal.

From a scheduling standpoint, teams at the top can play each other twice (14 games total), and then have one game against the others. The goal is to have every Pac-12 school be an NCAA Tournament team. The more Quad 1 and Quad 2 games they have, the more likely that becomes.

A conference tournament could still include all 16 teams, but the format would give the top tier an advantage. Like how the WCC’s tournament protects Gonzaga/Saint Mary’s by giving them byes to the semifinals, you can give the top 8 teams a bye and the top 4 a double-bye from the Pac-12 side.

On the other hand, you’re inviting star players to not want to play in the Mountain West. Would Isaiah Stevens be willing to play in the lower division when he can transfer and play just about anywhere in the country? (Some would say that’s already happening for the mid-major programs.) Plus, the added pressure on players to not get relegated when they’re not even professional athletes might not sit well with some.

International flavor

UCLA had to replace four starters from last season’s team that won 31 games. So it went overseas and grabbed three players who could play big roles … or may struggle to adapt. Smart move? Jeff Goodman and Greg Waddell discuss.

Links as you order the Almanac to learn everything about the 2023-24 season.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].