The highly coveted point guard from the Class of 2026 will announce his college commitment live on Tuesday at 4:00 pm ET from CBS Sports Headquarters when Deron Rippy Jr. announces his decision from a group of finalists that includes Duke, North Carolina State, Miami, Tennessee And Texas. Rippy is considered a five-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings and is ranked as the No. 16 overall prospect in the class by 247Sports. The announcement can be watched live video at the top of this pageon CBS Sports App or through a connected device (Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV).
Duke is considered the favorite to land Rippy, according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball. The 6-foot-2 guard is known for his defensive motor and athleticism and is ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the class by the 247Sports Composite. The Blair Academy (N.J.) product is still refining his offensive game but brings strong all-around intangibles, making his recruiting a competition among many of college basketball's top brands.
Rippy was the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year last season after averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals for Blair Academy. Here's an excerpt from 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein's assessment of Rippy:
Rippy is an explosive, athletic lead guard who can set the tone on defense. He presses the ball, extends the length of the court, breaks screens and is ideal offensively. While there may be times in the future where his lack of size and length could be targeted for this purpose, for now it is purely theoretical.
Offensively, he is a dynamic athlete on the ball, both in terms of his burst into the lane and his ability to get up for explosive dunks. This explosiveness allows him to change the pace of the game at almost any moment, as well as constantly apply pressure to the rim. At the same time, he achieved significant success in shooting. He shot 34% from beyond the arc in 3SSB, but showed further improvement in his senior season. He has developed very clean rhythm mechanics and is just starting to make more complex long range shots.
