Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III was officially certified to compete by the NCAA Eligibility Center on Friday.
The consensus No. 1 player in the high school class of 2018 before reclassifying to the class of 2017 and assuming the same position atop the player rankings, Bagley III signed a financial aid agreement with Duke on Aug. 15.
“From the outset of this process, we were optimistic that it would end with the NCAA Eligibility Center certifying Marvin to compete for Duke University in 2017-18,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “We are thrilled for Marvin and the Bagley family. Their organization and efficiency were key to the successful conclusion of the certification process, as were the efforts of our Duke Athletics administration.”
Bagley III is coming off of a summer in which he averaged 25.8 points, a league-high 14.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game for the Nike Phamily in the EYBL.
He was a USA Today All-USA first team selection and the Gatorade California Player of the Year as a junior in 2017 after averaging 24.9 points and 10.1 rebounds to lead Sierra Canyon to a 27-3 record. He was also named the 2017 John R. Wooden CIF Southern Section Player of the Year while maintaining a 3.4 grade-point average in the classroom.
During his time in the Los Angeles area, Bagley III volunteered for Hoops with Heart, a non-profit organization based in the city that benefits underprivileged youth and student-athletes.
The Phoenix native earned Arizona Republic Player of the Year honors as a freshman in 2015 after leading Corona del Sol High School to a state title.
Prior to his freshman season at Corona del Sol, Bagley III participated in the 2014 USA Junior National Team minicamp.
Duke will host Countdown to Craziness presented by Delta Air Lines on Oct. 20 and play exhibition games against Northwest Missouri State and Bowie State on Oct. 27 and Nov. 4, respectively, before opening the 2017-18 regular season at home against Elon on Nov. 10.
