It’s the Happy New Year edition of the Duke basketball recruiting roundup. The Duke basketball team got 2017 started with an impressive performance in a 110-57 victory over Georgia Tech on Wednesdday night and now the Blue Devils will try to keep the momentum going while Mike Krzyzewski is away from the team as he recovers from back surgery.

On the recruiting trail, there are quite a few stories from the past week related to Duke’s commitments and top targets.

Here are some of the biggest headlines.

Marvin Bagley III on His Motivation to be the Best

As the top ranked player in the class of 2018, junior forward Marvin Bagley III already has a target on his back. The 6’10” forward from Arizona is the main reason his Sierra Canyon team is one of the best in the country, and Bagley recently discussed his motivation to be the best player in his class, or any other class. Bagley faces stiff competition in his class, particularly from Zion Williamson. Both players are being recruited by Duke.

Highlight Video of Trevon Duval at City of Palms

Ballislife has a new video out showcasing 2017 5-star point guard Trevon Duval in his recent performance at the City of Palms event. Duval led his IMG Academy team to a strong showing in the tournament and showed why he’s the top ranked point guard in the class of 2017. The 6’3”, 175-pounder is Duke’s top target at the point guard position for this season’s recruiting class and the Blue Devils are considered the favorite to get him.

Wendell Carter & Gary Trent Confident in Jeff Capel

Duke is in good hands with Jeff Capel while Mike Krzyzewski is out, according to 2017 commits Gary Trent and Wendell Carter. In a piece by Jason Jordan of USA Today, both 5-star recruits talk about their confidence in Coach Capel and his ability to lead the team during Coach K’s absence. Capel, known as arguably the best recruiter in college basketball, is highly regarded by Carter and Trent, which isn’t surprising considering he was the lead recruiter for both players.

Kevin Knox to Visit FSU this Weekend

Duke target Kevin Knox is in Tallahassee this weekend for his official visit to Florida State. The 5-star forward is Duke’s top target for the wing position in the class of 2017 and he’s one of the most versatile players in the country. The Blue Devils face stiff competition in FSU, which is where both of his parents attended and played college sports. Knox is also considering North Carolina and Kentucky.

Profile of 2018 PG Darius Garland

This feature in The Tennessean offers Duke fans the opportunity to get to know more about Darius Garland, a 5-star guard in the 2018 class who holds an offer from the Blue Devils. Garland is the top ranked point guard in the class in the 247Sports Composite and Duke is the heavy favorite to land him for its class of 2018. The article focuses on how Garland has worked to improve every aspect of his game and how he has helped Brentwood Academy become a dominant power in Tennessee high school basketball.

New Blog Post by Zion Williamson

2018 5-star forward Zion Williamson has a new post up on his Iron Lion Zion blog on USA Today. The freakishly athletic forward doesn’t offer much in terms of his recruitment, other than that he’s picked up recent offers from Kansas and Louisville, which he can add to his growing list of offers that includes Duke. Williamson doesn’t name specific schools but mentions he intends to take some visits to schools near him in the next couple months and then check out some West Coast schools during the summer.

____________

Thanks for reading this week’s recruiting roundup! Here’s to hoping 2017 is another awesome year for the Duke recruiting machine!