Marques Bolden to Duke, Blue Devils’ Class Now Ranked No. 1

After months of buildup, waiting and speculation, Marques Bolden finally announced for Duke and not Kentucky on Thursday at DeSoto (TX) High School.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man is ranked the No. 1 center in the Class of 2016 and joins a loaded recruiting class that already includes Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Javin DeLaurier, Frank Jackson and Jack White. Duke’s class is now ranked No. 1 by Scout.com ahead of No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Arizona.

Glad to say next year I’ll be attending the University of Duke!!! ��⚪️ #DukeNation pic.twitter.com/RxfzVrBtLY

– ✊ (@MarquesB__) May 19, 2016

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Duke already figured to be the preseason No. 1 team in the land and the addition of Bolden certainly should help. In addition to their loaded recruiting class, Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s team returns a core of players, including bigs Amile Jefferson and Chase Jeter and guards, Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Matt Jones, Bolden’s former DeSoto teammate.

“I think I fit in well being able to play multiple positions and I feel like I complement most of the guys that are already there and I feel like they complement me as well,” Bolden told Scout.com about his selection of Duke

“It’s just the chance to play for a special group of guys,” he added. “I feel like we are going to have a lot of versatility with next years roster.”

Giles believes he and Bolden will complement each other down low.

“I’m unselfish, I played with other good players before,” Giles said last month. “I played with Diamond Stone, Ivan Raab, so I know how to play with good bigs. It works out for itself. Good players can play with each other, it’s not that hard. People kind of blow it out of proportion. But we both unselfish, so it will be perfect.

“That’s why I want him so bad because I know I can make him so much better and we can go at it in practice and make each other better. With Amile and Chase, that’s a good four-big rotation. We go at it every day in practice, we can’t help but get better.”

As for Kentucky, nobody should shed a tear.

The Wildcats are loaded in the frontcourt with returning bigs Isaac Humphries and Tai Wynyard and incoming bigs Bam Adebayo, Sacha Killeya-Jones and Wenyen Gabriel.

Kentucky forward Marcus Lee cancelled several NBA workouts and if he and Isaiah Briscoe both return, Kentucky would have 12 scholarship players following the announcement that guard Charles Matthews will transfer.

Among the players still uncommitted in 2016 are big men Jarrett Allen and Taurean Thompson.

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