Marvin Bagley III, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2018, arrived at Duke on Thursday afternoon for his first official visit, sources told ZAGSBLOG.
Bagley’s father, Marvin Jr., is originally from Durham and Marvin III’s grandmother still lives there.
Duke also had the first of 10 practices Thursday for its upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic. The Blue Devils will depart for the tour on Thursday, Aug. 17, and return to Durham on Thursday, Aug. 24.
“After Peach Jam’s over, I’m going to take my visit to Duke, see a little bit more of the school,” the 6-foot-11 power forward from Sierra Canyon (CA) said last week at the Peach Jam, where coaches from Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and USC watched him. “I went on a visit but I didn’t really see a lot of [the campus] so this time I will see way more than I did last time so I’m excited about it. And I can’t wait.”
Bagley will also visit USC July 26-27 and Arizona the first week of August, his father said at the Peach Jam. Still, several coaches involved in his recruitment told ZAGSBLOG at the Peach Jam and the Under Armour All-American Camp that Duke has to be considered the favorite at this point.
Meantime, it remains unclear if Bagley will reclass, skip his senior year at Sierra Canyon and head directly to college for 2017-18. He’s certainly talented enough to do so, and that would then make him eligible for the 2018 NBA Draft, where he would be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick alongside Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. and Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton, among others.
“Hey, ask the guy who started the rumor, they know more than what I can tell you,” Bagley Jr. told FanRagSports.com at the Peach Jam in reference to the reclassification rumblings.
Duke already has the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation per ESPN.com, highlighted by point guard Trevon Duval, shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. and power forward Wendell Carter Jr.
Photo: Scout.com
