Vernon Carey – F
Duke
Five-star big man Vernon Carey is the first of two freshmen to appear on this list. The new Duke Blue Devil is a dominant post presence who will have a huge impact on what Coach K does this season due to his ability to score, rebound, defend, and handle the ball at a high level.
There aren’t many big men these days that come into their first season in college basketball with the ability to handle the rigors of a conference like the ACC and do so at a high level inside the post. But that’s exactly what Duke will get this year from Carey. From day one on campus, there will be only a few players in the ACC with the size and strength to match up with the 18-year-old out of Fort Lauderdale.
Rated as 247 Sports sixth best player in the 2019 class and third best center, Carey will have the capabilities to be a go-to scorer for the Blue Devils right away due to his strength and array of brute post moves around the basketball, but also from the mid-range and even from the 3-point line at times.
As a senior, the 6’10, 275-pound big man averaged 21.7 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block per game, and very easily could come close to achieving the same numbers as a freshman believe it or not.
Teamed with fellow five-star big man, Matthew Hurt, Carey will have another elite presence who will command attention allowing for him to do the work he needs inside and score at a very high level.
His ability to compete for ACC Player of the year this season will really be dependent upon whether or not Coach K shifts his offense from a high-speed full court team to a slowed down half court offense that focuses on getting the ball inside. Duke has a number of weapons outside that allow for the Blue Devils to do both, but Carey won’t be nearly as effective if he is forced to be a rim runner from day one.
The scoring, rebounding, and defense will be there right away but to what level is something we won’t know for a while now. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Carey as a top ACC player this season, but it may take him some time to produce at an extremely high level as he becomes more familar with the speed and rigors of college basketball.