Duke transfer Chase Jeter to join the Arizona Wildcats

Duke transfer Chase Jeter is joining the Arizona Wildcats, he announced Tuesday on Instagram.

The 6-foot-10 sophomore picked Arizona over USC, Cal, San Diego State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Utah, and UCLA.

Due to NCAA transfer rules, Jeter will have to sit out the 2017-18 season before having (at least) two years of eligibility at Arizona, starting in the 2018-19 season.

The former five-star recruit appeared in just 16 games at Duke this past season as he dealt with a back injury.

He averaged 2.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 14.9 minutes. As a freshman, Jeter averaged 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game.

With the impending graduations of Dusan Ristic and Keanu Pinder along with the likely departure of DeAndre Ayton at the end of the 2017-18 season, Jeter is in position to have a major role with the Wildcats in the 2018-19 season.

Jeter, a Las Vegas native, was the No. 15 player in the 2015 recruiting class and a McDonald’s All-American.

Arizona was one of several schools that actively recruited him out of Bishop Gorman High School, but he ultimately decided to head east to play for Duke.

However, this March, Jeter announced that he would be transferring from Duke after two seasons with the program.

“Chase has been an outstanding young man in our program for the last two years,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “He has been one of our top academic performers since he arrived on campus. Unfortunately, he was held back this season due to injury. We wish nothing but the absolute best for Chase and his family.”

Jeter, along with Pittsburgh graduate transfer Cameron Johnson, visited Arizona in early May.

Johnson, a 6-foot-7 sharpshooting forward, is expected to chose between Arizona, Kentucky, Oregon, and UCLA.

Johnson is able to play immediately and has two years of eligibility left. Johnson said his decision could hinge on the NBA Draft status of Rawle Alkins.

Alkins has until May 24 to decide if he will keep his name in the NBA Draft or return to Arizona for his sophomore season.

“With him leaving they have a spot they need me to fill and there’s a role for me there with the rest of the team there,” Johnson told Scout.com’s Evan Daniels. “There’s a spot carved out for me there, that’s their pitch.”

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