Created by: Hoop Journey --------- On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, from his home gym at Spartanburg Day School, Zion Williamson announced his commitment to DUKE, going #1 player RJ Barrett and #3 player Cam Reddish. He narrowed his search to six schools: Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.Technically, Williamson wasn't even the most coveted player in his class—that distinction belongs to Canadian forward R.J. Barrett. But the 17-year-old Williamson is far more special. He is the rare college basketball prospect who will arrive on campus with name recognition and a built-in fanbase. He doesn't need his university to make him a hoops celebrity; he's already a star. Top recruits will typically talk about fit or comfort as the main reasons they commit to a particular school, but most often, it comes down to mutual admiration. For obvious reasons, top programs want the most talented players. And for equally obvious reasons, top prospects desire the attention and adulation that comes from suiting up for blue-chip programs. And it's not just because schools like Duke or Kentucky afford players every luxury short of a salary. It's because they have rabid fans who will follow alumni and root for them throughout their professional careers. But Williamson isn't wanting for fans. He rose to fame on social media as ferociously as he rises for his signature rim-busting dunks. He was first featured on House of Highlights as a 16-year-old, and he's been a regular attraction ever since. There are 15 YouTube videos that feature Williamson with over one million views. Barrett's top video, by contrast, has fewer than 500,000 views. Williamson's AAU game against LaMelo Ball last July attracted 1.3 million live viewers, according to ESPN, which is about the same audience for the average college basketball game on the network. He has nearly 100,000 followers on Twitter, and his 1.1. million Instagram followers are nearly double any program pursuing him #HoopJourney Subscribe To Our Second Channel Hoop Journey 2: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCijg... LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE!
Admin -- with Duke (M) Basketball , Zion Williamson |