Kahlil Dukes would be a perfect match for Longwood.
We posted yesterday that Longwood is a finalist for USC transfer Kahlil Dukes. Right now the Hartford native is down to Hofstra, Maine, Niagara, Longwood, and a to-be-determined mystery school. Things have changed a lot in 24 hours as both Hofstra and Maine have signed players and seemingly exhausted all of their scholarships. Surely rosters are malleable this time of things but if things stay the same then the race seems to be down to the Lancers and MAAC member Niagara.
Longwood has one of the strongest cores in the Big South coming back next year with Shaq Johnson, Lotanna Nwogbo, Leron Fisher, and others. The Lancers will also get a boost in a pair of transfers Tra’Vaughn White (Duquesne) and Richmond native Khris Lane (Drexel). Both White and Lane practiced with the Lancers a year ago but sat out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. Due to the depth that Longwood seemingly has back it’s not imperative that Coach Gee uses his final scholarship on an immediate impact players, making the addition of Dukes perfect for the Lancers.
After next season Longwood is woefully thin at point guard. White and Fisher will move on and Bryan Gee will be the only true point guard on the roster. Sure, Kanayo Obi-Rapu can adequately handle the rock and will continue to improve orchestrating the offense but he seems more well suited as a two-guard for the Lancers. Basically, as of right now, Longwood had no starting point guard in the pipeline for the 2016-17 season. That’s where Dukes comes in…
Dukes would be a star in the Big South. He averaged 23.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.0 steals per game for Capital Prep Magnet in high school and is known for his scoring ability. Coming into USC, Galen Central described him as such:
“He is, unquestionably, a gifted scorer that can do just about anything to get his own shot and score, whether it is taking a jump shot off the dribble, pulling up from long range, or penetrating the lane and finishing at the rim.”.
Dukes would be the perfect piece to steady the ship in the 2016-17 season. Longwood should still be a title contender in the Big South by then and Dukes likely isn’t going to get an opportunity to be “the guy” anywhere else like he is at Longwood. He’d get two years in Farmville to put together something special alongside Obi-Rapu and Lane. That trio could carry the Lancers a long way in the future.
