With the regular season a little more than a month away, the pace is starting to pick up on the recruiting front.
We'll begin this week's roundup with a look at five-star power forward Wendell Carter—the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2017 ESPN 100. The Blue Devils landed on the final-four list announced by the Atlanta native Tuesday night, but Duke's competitors are not programs many would traditionally assume as contenders for one of the top high school players in the country.
final four pic.twitter.com/OKqpWKh6bd
— Wendell Carter Jr (@wendellcarter34) September 20, 2016
Although in-state options Georgia and Georgia Tech remain on the table for Carter and Harvard looms as an interesting possibility for the power forward, the Blue Devils are believed to be overwhelming favorites to land the big man.
Landing Carter could help Duke when it comes to the recruitment of guard Gary Trent Jr. The high school senior has also cut his list down to four schools and will make his official visit to Durham from Oct. 21-23, the weekend of the Blue Devils' annual Countdown to Craziness event to kick off the season.
#Decisions pic.twitter.com/d3LXiEMhFh
— GARY TRENT JR (@THAT_KID_GARY) September 18, 2016
Trent and Carter have talked frequently about the idea of being recruited as a package deal, and the Duke is the only program heavily in the conversation for both prospects.
The Blue Devils' coaching staff was also on the road this week to meet with ESPN's No. 4 overall prospect Mohamed Bamba. The 6-foot-11 center is one of the most highly sought after prospects in the Class of 2017 due to his tremendous athletic ability and physical attributes—especially a 7-foot-8 wingspan. The Blue Devils are currently a slight favorite ahead of Kentucky in 247Sports' Crystal Ball for the high school senior.
Four-star point guard Matt Coleman, who received a Duke offer earlier this month, visited campus last weekend. The No. 27 player in the Class according to ESPN, Coleman is expected to be leaning toward Texas, though Duke is also becoming a bigger factor for the Oak Hill Academy point guard, per 247Sports.
Coleman might be the Blue Devils' best chance to land a 2017 point guard, with five-star point guard Quade Green also still expected to be considering Duke. The Blue Devils also offered five-star point guard Trae Young and four-star talent Tremont Waters at the position, but both players are no longer expected to consider Duke when making their college choice.
Krzyzewski and company lost one target this week when four-star forward D.J. Harvey committed to Notre Dame Tuesday. The Bowie, Md., native held an offer from the Blue Devils but was expected to commit to the Fighting Irish by most experts.
The closing note for this week's roundup comes from five-star target Kevin Knox, who hosted Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Florida State this week. Knox handed out awards in his USA Today blog based on his visits, and the Blue Devils came home with the award for "Best Story." The Tampa, Fla., native is the No. 7 prospect in the Class of 2017 and is believed to be favoring Duke.
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