Patrick Baldwin Jr. is one of the truly elite players in the 2021 recruiting class.
The Sussex, Wis. native is a composite five-star recruit. 247Sports‘ composite rankings have him as the No. 3 recruit in the entire nation.
Baldwin only ranks behind No. 1 overall recruit Jonathan Kuminga among small forwards. He’s the top recruit in Wisconsin, a state well-represented in his new top 10 schools list.
In-state power Wisconsin cracks the list, as does local mid-major Wisconsin-Milwaukee. They’re joined by some of the powers of the sport. Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, UCLA, and Virginia make the cut.
Six college basketball recruiting analysts have registered predictions over at 247Sports’ crystal ball. All six believe Baldwin will follow in the footsteps of so many five-star recruits in recent years, and play for the Duke Blue Devils.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is reportedly enamored with Patrick Baldwin as a prospect. He was the first 2021 recruit offered by Duke, all the way back in 2018. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, Coach K has told friends that he sees Baldwin as “the perfect recruit.” If any statement from any college basketball coach could make a big impact on a recruit, that is probably it.
Baldwin’s grandfather went to Duke, so there are some deeper connections there as well. They might be tough to overcome here.