By JACOB POLACHECK
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — Chase Jeter knows expectations are high for Duke entering the 2016-17 season.
The Blue Devils will likely be the preseason No. 1 team in most polls, and betting site Bovada has them at 9/2 odds to win the NCAA championship in Phoenix next April
The 6-foot-10 Jeter isn’t backing down from those expectations, either.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the national championship and I’m looking forward to the season,” Jeter told SNY.tv at Adidas Nations, where he is a college counselor.
Duke also returns Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard, Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson, while adding a top-2 recruiting class featuring Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Javin Delaurier, Frank Jackson and late-addition Marques Bolden. (Fellow freshmen Antonio Vrankovic and Jack White are expected to red-shirt, a source said.)
Duke has three players projected to be drafted in the Top 10 of the 2017 NBA Draft, and four projected first-round picks.
Jeter and Jackson, a 6-3 point guard who is expected to play a large role following the transfer of Derryck Thornton to USC, have been working together here at the Adidas Nations. Despite playing on separate teams, they were seen doing drills together on Saturday before games.
“I’ve gotten close with Chase throughout the summer because we have been there at Duke since the beginning of the summer.” said Jackson. “He’s great and I love playing with him.”
Entering his sophomore year, Jeter has been a great mentor for Jackson, saying, “Frank’s development has gone at a great rate. He’s adjusting to the game real fast.”
After landing one of the nation’s top recruiting class this year, there are concerns about Duke’s ability to get everybody involved on offense. However, that is not something that Jeter sees raising problems in the future.
“I think that’s just one of those things, playing for Coach K,” Jeter said. “He never lets guys ego’s get in the way. We’ll all be able to share the ball and everyone is going to be able to have fun playing together.”
For his part, Coach K told SNY.tv at the Peach Jam that he will wait until the preseason to determine a playing style for his team.
“I’d rather see how they play in our preseason and then work on a system that would be personalized for them,” he said. “That’s the fun I get out of coaching but also makes it better for them.”
He added: “It will be a deep team unless there’s injuries, thank goodness. We didn’t have one last year.”
In the meantime, Coach K will attempt win another gold medal beginning at this week’s Olympics.
