Gilbert Arenas Rats Out Duke for Allegedly Paying Recruits
By Sean Facey
It seems as though the key to Duke's recruiting success isn't just pedigree alone, at least according to Gilbert Arenas.
The former NBA standout took to Instagram, ratting out the famed basketball program for allegedly paying recruits upwards of $200,000 to attend Duke over Kentucky.
Gilbert Arenas sure had some interesting things to say in a comment on Stephen A. Smith’s IG post ? ☕️ pic.twitter.com/544SAnA1ue
— Travis Graf (@Trav_Graf) September 13, 2019
Though it's unclear how well-founded the comment is, which was left on a post by Stephen A. Smith, Arenas claims that he knows of "two players in the last 5 years that’s gotten (200k) to attend duke."
If true, it would deal a truly devastating blow to the credibility of the Blue Devils' basketball program.
Then again, recruiting scandals of this nature aren't all that uncommon in the NCAA. It's the worst-kept secret in college basketball that some recruits receive payment or get preferential treatment at major programs.
As fall signing period approaches here is a list of Duke’s current standing offers for the class of 2020 (still in consideration for):
— Duke Recruiting (@duke_recruiting) September 12, 2019
Henry Coleman
Walker Kessler
DJ Steward
Mark Williams
Ziaire Williams
Of course it would take a true bombshell for the NCAA to even look into Duke's recruiting history. A comment from Arenas likely isn't going to be enough for anything serious to come about, especially for a program of this caliber.
That doesn't make his point of view any less interesting, though. Still, without actually naming names, we can only view this as hearsay at best.