Let's start this week with the Blue Devils most recent offers to prospects in the Class of 2017. Duke extended an offer Monday to shooting guard Gary Trent Jr—who is fresh off his MVP performance for the gold-medal winning USA U16 Team. The guard hails from Apple Valley, Minn., and goes to the same high school and plays for the same AAU team as championship-winning point guard Tyus Jones.
Trent is currently ranked 8th on the ESPN 60 for the Class of 2017 and talked recently about signing as a package deal with center Wendell Carter Jr. Sure enough, the Blue Devils decided to extend an offer to Carter the very next day and it appears that Duke is currently the front-runner to land the two five-star prospects. The duo joins Troy Brown as the only other juniors to receive an offer from the Blue Devils.
Yet, Duke may be extending another offer very shortly when 2017 point guard Trae Young visits campus this Sunday. The Norman, Okla., native is the third-ranked point guard in his class according to ESPN.
The Blue Devils continued their recruitment of top junior prospects Monday night when they placed an initial call to 5-star prospect Mohammed Bamba. Although there were conflicting reports about whether the Harlem, N.Y., native has received an offer from Duke, the Blue Devils simply made contact with the highly touted prospect and have not offered a scholarship to him at this point. Bamba—who is the 10th-ranked prospect in the ESPN 60—has offers from eight programs including powerhouses such as Arizona, Kentucky, Indiana and Syracuse.
Switching gears and heading back to the Class of 2016, forwards Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum were named finalists for the Team USA U19 team. Although one more cut remains before the final team is announced, both are near locks to make the team.
In spite of Giles and Tatum's long-time friendship, a rivalry still exists between the two as both prospects have shared time atop the 2016 ESPN 100. The most recent rankings saw Giles reclaim the distinction as the top prospect in the country with Tatum following behind in second. The duo has discussed the possibility of committing as a package deal along with point guard Dennis Smith Jr.—who is currently the fourth-ranked prospect in 2016. With Giles, Tatum, and Smith all heavily considering Duke, the possibility of signing the highly touted trio has Blue Devils fans excited about what the future may hold for the program.
It is looking more and more likely that the first domino to fall in the Class of 2016 will be Tatum's decision this summer. In an interview with SNY.tv, Tatum contradicted previous reports that stated he was down to just two schools. The small forward discussed the appeal of each school he is considering and compared the great history and tradition at North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke to the value of staying close to his hometown at St. Louis. The highly touted prospect also expressed his desire to commit early in the recruiting process and possibly as early as July.
That’s all for this week’s recruiting roundup. Be sure to stay with the Blue Zone for all your recruiting news.
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