Trent picks Duke

The early signing period has been good to Duke over the last few years, and today Gary Trent, Jr. continued the trend for the Blue Devils. The five-star guard announced his decision to choose Duke this evening, picking Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils over Michigan State and UCLA.

"In the fall of 2017 I will be attending Duke University," Trent said on national television.

Trent made his name as a scorer during his high school and AAU career, making him one of the more coveted wings in the country.

At 6-foot-4, 200-plus pounds, the Prolific Prep standout gives Duke a big guard that can score in a variety of ways.

“I see Trent as an instant scorer at Duke,” Devils Illustrated recruiting analyst Clint Jackson said. “At his size, he has the ability to be a go-to scorer right away at the next level. He creates his own shot very well and doesn't need much space to get it off. He has plenty of range and his three-pointer is a money ball.”

National analyst Eric Bossi also chimed in about Trent's game.

"Trent's forte is scoring the basketball and he does so in a variety of ways," Bossi said. "He's a big and strong guard who can shoot a bit from the outside, is hard to take the ball from and he has a dangerous low and middle post games. You don't see a lot of guards posting up in college, but he's so good in the post that I can't imagine Duke won't eventually find ways to use him as a post scorer from time to time."

Trent has long been known for his ability to shoot the basketball, but his ability to drive to the hoop has always been a component of his game that drawn respect from college coaches and evaluators alike.

Jackson has followed him since his early days in high school and notes the five-star’s efforts to improve as a complete scoring guard.

“I think he really diversified his game over these last nine months to a year, too,” he said. “He is mixing in his pull-up jumpers with some drives to the hoop as well as a powerful backdown-his-defender tendency.

“He is a volume guy who gets his shots up but he does them very much in the flow of the offense.”

That’s music to the ears of any Duke fan, as the Blue Devils notoriously have shooters that can spot up on the perimeter and hit shots. With a scoring guard that can find points in a variety of ways, his teammates on the perimeter will only be better for his presence.

Defensively, Trent does put forth the effort. And what seems to be the trend for the Devils as of late, Trent adds some length on the defensive side.

“I think Trent will also defend two positions, help out on the glass and run the break,” Jackson added. “He is definitely a five star guy and impact perimeter wing.”

In addition to Trent's skill-set, he's as confident of a player as you'll find. In many cases, confidence translates into a guy that can get under the skin of his opponents. Something Bossi feels Trent cherishes.

"Gary Trent is a true Alpha on the basketball court. He wants the ball in his hands, he wants to compete, he wants to put up huge scoring numbers and most likely he wants to tell his opponent about it while he does it. Make no mistake, opposing fans are going to hate him during his career at Duke."

Trent is currently rated as the No 13 overall player in the country.