Washington high school basketball star Paolo Banchero commits to Duke

Pacific Northwest high school basketball star Paolo Banchero of O'Dea (Seattle) announced Thursday via social media he is committed to Duke. The 6-foot-9 forward picked the Blue Devils over Arizona, Gonzaga, Kentucky, Tennessee and Washington.

Banchero is regarded as the No. 3 prospect in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports and projects to be a lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He earned MaxPreps National Junior of the Year honors last season after putting up 22.7 points per game and leading O'Dea to the Class 3A state title game.

O'Dea will enter the 2020-21 high school basketball season with lofty expectations, checking in at No. 9 in our Way-Too-Early MaxPreps Top 25 released in April. After winning the state title in 2019, the Fighting Irish fell just short last year with a loss in the title game to end the campaign 23-6.

A quarterback prospect early in his prep career, Banchero is a top contender for MaxPreps National Player of the Year with expectations of a monster senior season in the Evergreen State.

In addition to Banchero, Duke has a commitment from another five-star prospect in A.J. Griffin of Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.).