Duke Basketball: Could another star join Blue Devils’ 2017 roster?
The Duke Blue Devils may get another top prospect if Marvin Bagley III joins the 2017-18 class.
The recruiting effort for the Duke Blue Devils seemed as if it was over. It was a pretty good haul, too. The likes of Gary Trent, Jr. and Wendell Carter agreed to bring their
The likes of Gary Trent, Jr. and Wendell Carter agreed to bring their five-star talent with them to Durham. They were joined by two more four recruits and a three-star point guard. They gained the number one point guard recruit, Trevon Duval, late in the process. With all of this gained, it was safe to assume that Duke was done.
If they are done, they have reloaded their talent to make a team that will likely rank high in the preseason polls once again. That would be good enough for most Duke fans. However, there is a chance that Duke is looking to add a cherry to the top of this recruiting class.
According to reports by Gary Parrish of CBS Sports, Duke is one of three schools reaching out to Marvin Bagley III. Bagley is the top rated recruit in next year’s class, but the 6’10” forward is considering reclassifying to join this year’s recruiting class. He is considered a top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and that opinion would not change if he moved into the 2018 Draft group.
If he does reclassify then it is a match between Duke and Southern California for his services according to reports from Jerry Meyer of 247 Sports.
Duke has gotten recruits to reclassify before. Most recently, Duke got guard Derryck Thornton to come play for them a year early. Thornton then transferred after his freshman season when it became obvious that his playing time was not going to increase as a sophomore.
More interesting would be how this move affects Duke’s front court. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has enjoyed success by using smaller frontcourts in recent years with only a single post presence. If he does indeed sign Bagley, Duke will be forced to play with some bigger lineups than they have in recent years. He would need to find time for Carter, Bagley, and Marques Bolden. That can only be done by playing them together.
It would be another wrinkle for a Duke team that is already undergoing huge turnover. Grayson Allen remains the only starter still on the team, and he did not start games late in the season. One could argue that Duke has no returning starters at all.
Meanwhile, Frank Jackson, Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Luke Kennard are all in the NBA. Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones graduated. Chase Jeter and Sean Obi transferred. Bolden barely played last year.
Next: UNC must adjust playing style for 2017-18
It looks like another coaching challenge for Krzyzewski. Last year he got a mostly young but partly veteran team to win the ACC Tournament. This year’s team will be doubling down on the youth, but also will lack the experience of last year’s team. Keep your eyes open to see if Bagley will be part of that mix.