It's been quite a summer for Rivals five-star small forward R.J. Barrett.

The 6-foot-7, 200-pound prospect, out of Monteverde Academy (Florida), led Team Canada to a FIBA U19 World Cup gold medal, highlighted by a 38-point, 13-rebound, 5-assist performance in a 99-87 semifinal win over Team USA.

Barrett then announced his decision to reclassify from the class of 2019 to 2018, which immediately vaulted him to the No. 1 player in the class.

On Wednesday, the buddy basketball superstar took yet another major step, cutting his list of schools to a final five of Arizona, Duke, Michigan, Oregon and Kentucky:

I want to thank all the schools that have recruited me.. these are my top 5 in alphabetical order. Haven't figured out any visits yet. pic.twitter.com/hID9BVGWUg — Rj Barrett (@RjBarrett6) August 16, 2017

Oregon's inclusion is far from a surprise.

Not only have Dana Altman and his staff built a pipeline in Canada, most recently signing Barrett's four-star teammate Abu Kigab, but Oregon has also been trending in the right direction for the potential program-altering talent for weeks.

According to Rivals, the Ducks should be in the mix until his announcement:

"Last week, my colleague Eric Bossi broke down the potential landing spots for Barrett, with Oregon being one of the teams mentioned. The Ducks have been tremendous of late at reeling in the best talent from Canada. The Pac-12 program will remain heavily in the mix but there will not be a shortage of heavy hitters in contention.

No surprise: Kentucky and Duke will also be battling for Barrett's commitment. Both programs have become springboards for one-and-done prospects and have been in contention for a while. Arizona, Kansas, UConn, Michigan and St. John's have also shown heavy attention to the Canadian.

Where Barrett will land remains up for debate, but Oregon should be involved until the end."

Altman has put Oregon in contention with college basketball's elite for top recruits.

Expect the 2018 class to be one of the school's best ever.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec