The news around the Duke basketball team over the past week has been centered around the fact that this year’s team is finally starting to get healthy. With Marques Bolden and Jayson Tatum now part of the rotation, and Harry Giles being close to returning, Duke fans are excited about the possibility of getting to see the Blue Devils at their full potential.

It’s been a relatively quiet week in the recruiting world, which is likely to continue over the holidays and winter break.

However, here a few recent headlines and stories to meet your recruiting fix and help you stay informed about some of Duke’s top targets.

New Diary Entry for Mohamed Bamba

Mohamed Bamba has a new entry in his diary series for SLAM, which I’ve come to consider a must read. The 5-star post player from New York is one of the more thoughtful, interesting prospects I’ve followed in the past few years. There’s nothing too revealing in this entry by Bamba, but he does touch on his recent visit to the University of Texas and makes note of how much he enjoyed the warmer weather. He also mentions the satisfaction of completing the ACT and his goal for this season of teaching and learning three new things each day. Sounds like a great goal for someone in any walk of life. Unfortunately, this recent article from A Sea of Blue, SB Nation’s Kentucky site, indicates that Duke could be fading out of the picture for Bamba.

2018 Duke Target Romeo Langford is Part of a Talented Backcourt at New Albany

As the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 3 overall player in the 247Sports Composite for the Class of 2018, Romeo Langford is the biggest star for his New Albany High School team in Indiana. Yet, Langford is also surrounded by talented backcourt mates who are hoping to help guide the team to its second consecutive state championship. It’s a supporting cast that helps Langford flourish as one of the country’s best scorers.

Kevin Knox Getting Recruited by Other Members of His 2017 Class

The Duke coaching staff isn’t alone in trying to get Kevin Knox to become part of the 2017 recruiting class for the Blue Devils. They’re getting some help from Wendell Carter and Gary Trent Jr., two fellow 5-star recruits who recently committed to Duke and are doing what they can to get Knox, a 5-star small forward, to join them in Durham. Carter, Trent and Knox know each other from the AAU circuit, as well as through being teammates for USA Basketball. Kentucky’s 2017 commits are also doing what they can to persuade Knox to become part of Big Blue Nation.

Marvin Bagley Impresses in Sierra Canyon Debut

Marvin Bagley didn’t take long to live up to the hype for his new Sierra Canyon team. The 6’11” forward and top ranked player in ESPN’s 2018 rankings scored 27 points in Sierra Canyon’s 93-61 victory over Chaminade for its season opener. UCLA coach Steve Alford was in attendance for Bagley’s performance, and the Bruins are expected to be one of many blue blood programs targeting Bagley over the next year, including Duke, Kentucky and Kansas.

Get to Know 2019 5-star R.J. Barrett

We haven’t heard much about the class of 2019 yet, but R.J. Barrett is definitely a name Duke fans will get to know over the next couple years. The 5-star wing from Canada is the top ranked player in Scout’s 2019 rankings and he’s already been scouted by Duke’s coaches on multiple occasions. This new feature by Bleacher Report offers some insight into Barrett’s approach to the game and what he’s focused on right now as a sophomore at one of the top high school programs in the country, as well as being a bright young star for the Canadian national program.

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