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Duke lands five-star Class of 2015 wing Brandon Ingram

2014 Adidas Nations

(Kelly Kline/Getty Images)

Getty Images

2014 Adidas Nations

(Kelly Kline/Getty Images)

Getty Images

One of the final major pieces of the 2015 class committed on Monday as five-star small forward Brandon Ingram pledged to Duke. The 6-foot-9 Ingram finished as the No. 4 overall prospect in Rivals’ final Class of 2015 rankings and the North Carolina native immediately plugs a huge hole on the wing left by the NBA Draft departure of freshman wing Justise Winslow.

With his ability to hit shots from all over the floor, Ingram is one of the most lethal scorers in the 2015 class and gives Duke an immediate offensive boost after the team lost so much after winning the national championship. With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Ingram is a long and versatile wing who can play in a number of different spots on the floor for Duke next season. Ingram can hit shots from 3-point range, has a deadly mid-range game and has also improved playing through physical contact while attacking off the bounce. Duke could opt to go big and play Ingram at the small forward, or go the more skilled route and put him at the four as yet another shooter to space the floor.

Now that Duke has added Ingram and reclassified five-star point guard Derryck Thornton Jr. in the last few weeks, they currently sit at No. 8 in the NBCSports.com Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25 for next season. Joining Ingram and Thornton in Duke’s 2015 recruiting class is five-star big man Chase Jeter, five-star shooting guard Luke Kennard and three-star big man Antonio Vrankovic.

For the second consecutive year, Duke has the No. 1 recruiting class in America, according to Rivals.
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Ingram has always been a touted wing prospect because of his skill level and ability to hit shots from all over the floor, but he exploded on the scene as a major national prospect when he went toe-to-toe with Jaylen Brown at the adidas Unrivaled Camp in Chicago during the first July evaluation period last summer. Since then, Ingram has continued to get better, culminating in a huge week at the McDonald’s All-American Game and also being selected to the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit.

A native of Kinston, North Carolina, Ingram selected the Blue Devils over other finalists Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, N.C. State and UCLA. Kinston won a state title this season as Ingram averaged 24.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.0 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.