No. 2 prospect Dereck Lively II commits to Duke

The second-ranked player in the 2022 recruiting class is headed to Duke, as five-star big man Dereck Lively II announced his commitment Monday.

The 7-foot-1 Lively chose the Blue Devils over other top schools, including Kentucky, North Carolina, and Michigan.

Lively is seen as a prototypical modern big man, able to run the floor and block shots while also stretching the floor offensively.

The Chester, Pennsylvania, native joins an already loaded Blue Devils recruiting class, with five-star recruits Dariq Whitehead and Kyle Filipowski, along with four-star recruit Jaden Schutt set to join for the 2022-23 season.

Duke had some uncharacteristic struggles during the COVID-19-laden 2020-21 campaign, finishing with a 13-11 record and missing the NCAA Tournament.