With the commitment of 3-star guard Jordan Goldwire came a lot of opinions hot takes and confusion from Duke fans and the media alike. Mostly because of the suddenness and the quick manner in which it happened. Like most fans I went in search of information about the 6’0, 160 lb point guard from Norcross High School. I started with his high school coach Jesse McMillan who said about Jordan:
“Jordan is young man that has been in the Norcross program his entire career. He has grown as a player and person each season and had a tremendous senior season. He’s a winner first and foremost and has played against some of the nation’s best competition throughout his high school career. He’s a pure point guard that brings an ability to push in transition and put the ball in scoring position.
Defensively, he has the ability to apply pressure and also play bigger wings in the half-court. He’s been surrounded by great players his entire career and has always brought an unselfish and mature attitude to the floor. Guys enjoy playing with him.”
I also spoke with Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10), National Basketball Analyst at Rivals and Director at Roundball Rundown Report who said about Jordan committing to Duke:
“Jordan is a very solid, well-rounded lead guard that was brought in for his facilitating skills. He is not an elite level athlete but he is someone that competes and will not back down from his opposition. He can make shots when left open and has a good feel for the game in creating for others in the half-court setting. He is not the answer to the point guard conundrum at Duke but he is a nice piece to bring off the bench when in need of an extra ball-handler.”
On The Radar Hoops in a March 17th article by Shun Williams wrote, Jordan Goldwire is, “A sneaky good defender who can also hit the open jumper. Ranked top 5 in steals on the EYBL circuit last year”.
Jordan averaged 11 points and five assists per game as a senior this season on a team with a ton of division 1 talent. With the amount of lamenting from Blue Devil fans about Duke not being able to have holdovers year to year, this should assuage some of that angst.
Goldwire played with a pair four-star prospects, including Louisville signee Lance Thomas, and Georgia signee Rayshaun Hammonds helping Norcross reach the state championship this year in the state of Georgia.
The best case scenario for Duke next year is that Frank Jackson returns for a sophomore season, Trevon Duval and Kevin Knox commits. That would give Duke 12 scholarship players – of that 12 they would likely in 2018 lose 7. It makes sense from a practice and program continuity standpoint to sign a player like Goldwire who wants to be at a place that will both push and develop him over the course of 4 years. Cynicism of some Duke fans aside this move seems to fit with what the program needs and also gives Duke some cushion in case Frank Jackson opts to keep his name in the NBA Draft.
