Marvin Bagley III reclassifies, joins Duke's 2017 recruiting class
Marvin Bagley III, the nation’s No. 1 rated player in 2018, has crashed the class of 2017’s party. The 6-foot-11, 220 pound forward has announced his decision to reclassify and enroll at Duke University for the upcoming college basketball season.
Bagley’s announcement comes not long after his final official visit.
"I’ve decided I’m going to forego my senior year and graduate with the class of 2017," Bagley said on ESPN. "I would like to thank Danny Ferry and Coach K for allowing me to wear No. 35 at Duke."
Rumors about a reclassification have been present for quite some time, but talk picked up steam at the Peach Jam in July. This time, however, the rumors were accompanied by the destination. And as plans for an official visit to Duke took form, those rumors grew even stronger.
Leading up to his visit to Duke, Bagley talked to Rivals.com’s Krysten Peek about what was important when making his college selection.
“I just want to get better,” he told Peek. “You can have all the talent in the world, but I want to grow as a person and just be around great people. I want to be in a team environment that’s going to help me and push me to the next level.”
Devils Illustrated recruiting analyst Clint Jackson believes he found exactly that with Mike Krzyzewski and Duke.
“I think the Blue Devils found the hot button with Bagley and his family - a great one year of playing college basketball at the top level,” he said. “Coach K will push him to get the best out of him. The spread offense that Duke runs will help him isolate and score due to the max spacing.”
At one point, Bagley would say, “I’m really, really excited for this college thing.”
So excited, in fact, he decided to expedite his arrival.
And by doing so, he made an already outstanding Duke ’17 recruiting class even better. A lot better.
Bagley joins Wendell Carter, Jr., Trevon Duval, Gary Trent, Jr., Jordan Tucker, Alex O’Connell and Jordan Goldwire in the class. Combine that with the presence of Grayson Allen, Marques Bolden and Javin DeLaurier and this Blue Devils squad has all the pieces to be a threat yet again for a title.
Bagley brings versatility and an NBA-ready skill-set to Durham.
“He is an elite, one-and-done type,” Jackson said. “A legitimate 6-foot-10 forward who can handle, pass and dust people off the dribble. He's a big-time rebounder as well, who grabs double digit board totals. Athletic, quick and long -- he's an instant college superstar who will start and be a go-to feature player at this level.
“Not a great long-range shooter, the southpaw can definitely shore up his jumper to be an even tougher match-up.”
The Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon product chose Duke over finalists USC and UCLA. Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky were also in the mix down the stretch.
Clint’s Scouting Report:
“Bagley is the best prospect in the class in my opinion because nobody can match his combination of size, speed, athleticism and versatility.
"What you have is a kid who is nearly 6-11 that can attack, handle, pass and dribble like a smaller wing. The lefty has explosive bounce, unbelievable agility and he has a tight handle for a big man. I think he's a phenomenal rebounder and he plays with an edge and energy that is contagious. I like his finishing ability inside and despite lacking great touch as a long-range shooter, he makes enough to keep the defense honest.
"I like him in Duke's offense because they space it out and they'll allow him to face-up and attack with open driving lanes. He's a definite one and done talent so you won't see him in Durham for more than one season."