NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking the last 10 No. 1 overall prospects

3. Marvin Bagley III – 2017

Bagley was a highly touted forward prospect who wound up playing for Krzyzewski at Duke, like many talented prospects before and after him. He was the most talented player and most efficient scorer and rebounder on a Blue Devils squad that made the Elite Eight as a two seed. Duke always has plenty of talent, but Bagley outshined Wendell Carter, Gary Trent, and Grayson Allen; helping all of them to lead this team deep into March.

Bagley put up 21.0 ppg and 11.1 rpg in his lone season with the Blue Devils. Talented players like Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Ayton and Collin Sexton were also from this class, though it’s hard to argue with Bagley’s results on the court. It’s difficult to dispute Bagley’s place at the top, even if Ayton was a machine down low and Trae Young put up points in absolute bunches at Oklahoma.

The impressive season for Bagley ended with 1st team All-American honors. He was named ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and the numbers he put up were mighty impressive, even for a Duke freshman. Unfortunately for him, there have been a lot of successful players under Krzyzewski at Duke, and he couldn’t even get his squad to a Final Four (though history would soon repeat itself the following year). It’s impossible to deny Bagley’s talent, which is currently on display as a rookie standout with the Kings; but he’s not going down in infamy with other Duke champions.