The 2017 late signing date started yesterday with very little news from current Duke prospects.  The Duke Blue Devils already have the pledges of Gary Trent Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., and Alex O'Connell but they seek to round out their roster after three players elected to enter the NBA Draft, two senior starters graduate and two informed the staff they would transfer.

The Blue Devils are also awaiting a decision from rising senior Grayson Allen, who may enter the NBA Draft or test the waters. Whether Allen returns or not, that leaves the Duke staff in need or more bodies to fill the roster.

Duke has long been recruiting its three remaining targets.  And each of them have visited Duke; some on multiple occasions.  Those three prospects have yet to announce their college destination and each of them are highly rated young men with many suitors.

Kevin Knox is a player who could step into the role left void by the departure of Jayson Tatum.  His camp most recently pushed their decision back to the end of April and possibly into May.  Of the three remaining targets, Knox may well be the last to sign his letter of intent.

Knox is being recruited hard by Florida State, Kentucky, North Carolina and most recently Missouri.  Many analyst think the Tigers entering the picture late had an effect on his pushing back a decision, while others think he is simply waiting to see how rosters shake out.

There is perhaps no more open situation than North Carolina, where Justin Jackson just entered his name into the NBA draft.  There is still a possibility that Joel Berry could do so as well and many are waiting to see if Tony Bradley, who is currently testing the waters hires and agent.  The Tar Heels would be majorly depleted if two of the three leave, possibly making them a less attractive situation.  And we also must consider a possibly rules violation probation should the NCAA move on past accusations.

Kentucky is much more settled as is Florida State where the players who have entered the NBA Draft will almost assuredly stay in and sign with agents per sources.  Missouri is the wildcard after a coaching change and addition of Cuonzo Martin and then landing Michael Porter Jr., Blake Harris and having PG  prospect CJ Roberts stick around.

The Blue Devils offer basketball in a constant limelight and facilities at the highest level and a track record of getting players to the NBA. In fact, those numbers swell even more considering they will have three more first round selections  this season.    They are firmly in the race for Knox, despite what some may say.

One of the most important prospects left on the board for Duke is point guard, Trevon Duval.  The kid can run the show from day one at Duke surrounded by talented pieces if he chooses to do so.  Duval is being recruited hard by Arizona, Kansas and Seton Hall as well.

Kansas and Arizona have been legit contenders all the way through the process and both offer attractive situations.  Seton Hall is likely there out of respect and I mean no disrespect in saying that.  They are the hometown team that is going up against the heavyweights of college basketball.

Duval most recently said that he would announce his decision in style and consult with his father on how to do so.  He has also said his decision would come at the end of the month during the flurry of high school all star games of late.

Duke has been all in on Duval, identifying him as the nations best point guard and the one they want to drive the team.  The Blue Devils had a good visit with Duval during the North Carolina game in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Current Blue Devils in the fold, Wendell Carter Jr. and Gary Trent Jr. have been openly working Duval and other prospects during the various all star games and both were on hand when Duval visited Duke with his family.  One would have to think that Duke is a major player for his services and a favorite with what they have to offer.

Perhaps no player has turned more heads of late than Mo Bamba. He is long, agile and college ready.  The NBA will have to wait on Bamba for now in that he will soon make his college choice as a certain one and done player.

Bamba told USA Today Sports, “I don’t have a timeline,” Bamba said. “I have to reflect on each university and each school. I honestly think I can play with anyone. I hate to brag, but I think I’m that good of a teammate.

He's right and any of the schools on his list would love to have him. That list is made up of Duke, Kentucky, Michigan and Texas.  Some analyst feel Kentucky and Texas have the edge, but Bamba has been methodical and grounded in is handling of the process.

Duke will have to wait a little longer to hear where these three young mean choose to play.  But the Blue Devils staff have made each of them know of their value and offer a great situation to succeed and get to the next level.

If I were to guess, Bamba or Duval could make their decision made known first and Knox will likely take a while.  Duke would take two out of the three and be happy or gladly take them all.

The timeline for signing national letters of intent started yesterday and runs to May 17th.  The Duke staff will likely be on the recuiting trail later this month seeking 2018-19 players to be before hearing of some of the 2017 Duke prospects decisions.

One of the nations most prolific prospects talks about his recent visits from the staffs of North Carolina and Duke in his USA Today blog entries.

Zion Williamson is one of those special players ganering a lot of interest which included the entire Blue Devil staff this past weekend.  Here is an excerpt from  USA Today.

''I had Coach K for an in-home this weekend too.

It was the day after the in-home with North Carolina. They showed up with a full house! I mean they brought everyone; Coach K, Coach (Jeff) Capel, Coach (Jon) Scheyer and Coach (Nate) James. That was big for me. They said they wanted to show me how important a player I was to them and they definitely did that.

We talked about how choosing Duke could mean a lot to me well after basketball because of the brand it is. Then we talked about life at Duke and Coach K said that since they don’t have athletic dorms you get to know all of the students really well.

At a school like Duke, it’s tough to get in, so he said you never know who you could be living with. You might be on the hall with a person who will be President one day or a brain surgeon or something like that.

I already felt like we had a close relationship, but Coach K said he wants our relationship to be even deeper.

I’m all for it.''

The article in its entirety can be founde here -

The Zion Williamson Blog: In-homes with Coach Roy Williams and Coach K, kickin' it with Quavo

The Duke Blue Devils hosted point guard Trevon Duval for their win over arch rival North Carolina  this past week.  Duval is one of the two top targets left in the Class of 2017 for Duke with the other being Kevin Knox.

Duval has good length and size, standing 6-3  and weighing in at around 180 pounds. He has a muscular upper body which will help to make him college ready a season from now.

Rated as the top point guard in his class, Duval stayed through Friday for his official visit with The Blue Devils.  During his visit he was able to tour the Duke campus with all of the assistant coaches and meet with Mike Krzyzewski.

Duval was also able to spend time with Blue Devils to be Gary Trent Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. who were visiting as well.  Trent would end up staying for the Duke win over Clemson before returning to California to finish up his high school basketball season.

The coveted point guard prospect also got to see the top-notch NBA-like facilities.  He was also able to hang out with current freshman Harry Giles Jr., Jayson Tatum and other Duke players.

There were a couple of signs encouraging Duval to come to Duke in the stands during the Duke win over North Carolina.  Daval was able to see the rivalry up close and personal while sitting with his Father and other close to him.

In between timeouts the Cameron Crazies tried to get Duval to sit with them via a chant.  But the noise and the intensity from a thrilling win over North Carolina made it impossible to be heard with the band and music playing.

It probably goes without saying that Duval knows there is a wide open spot at the point guard position at Duke.  It is likely as well that he is aware that he would play with a talented cast of players who will compete at the highest level.

Future Blue Devils @wendellcarter34 and @THAT_KID_GARY with @DatGuy_Trey after Duke defeated UNC in Cameron. pic.twitter.com/Yf7n5jecEE

— Blue Devil Nation (@BlueDevilNation) February 10, 2017

Duval is very physical on his drives and goes north to south in quick fashion.  He is an explosive player who can score the ball and is working on being a better distributor. Duval has a great handle and can pull up for the jumper with ease.  He can adjust with the ball on the fly with his athleticism and is getting better from beyond the three-point stripe.

Kansas, Arizona and Baylor are among other schools that have offered Duval.  Most consider Kansas where he visited on January the 31st and Arizona to be the main competition for Duke. However, Duke seems to be in good shape in his recruitment and the word is he had a nice visit.

Duke also had a visit from Alex O'Connell for the game with Clemson.  O'Connell and the aforementioned Carter and Trent make up the 2017 Duke class to date.

@Alex_OC11 is in the house. pic.twitter.com/AK81hX7LZP

— Blue Devil Nation (@BlueDevilNation) February 11, 2017

To nobodies real surprise, Wendell Carter made his decision to play basketball at Duke University official this morning.  An imposing big man who stands 6-10 with strong physical play, Carter is a sure thing at the collegiate level.

pic.twitter.com/lRVt3gab5D 😊

— Wendell Carter Jr (@wendellcarter34) November 23, 2016

The Blue Devils had been on Carter for well over a year, where Jeff Capel took the lead assistant role in the process.  And there was no shortage of Coach Mike Krzyzewski making his intent known all along.

Carter had long been thought a Duke lean despite some flirtation with Harvard coached by former Blue Devil coach and player, Tommy Amaker.  Other big time schools did not bother even ringing his doorbell past a certain point feeling he was just too good of a fit for the Blue Devils.

Welcome to Duke Wendell @wendellcarter34 Carter pic.twitter.com/mtGXas7KHP

— Blue Devil Nation (@BlueDevilNation) November 23, 2016

The writing was on the wall even more-so when Gary Trent Jr. selected the Blue Devils.  The two were and always have been a package deal and look forward to playing with one another.  This was also another case of how Krzyzewski's USA Basketball connections helped once again, for both were mainstays in the youth program for the country.

Carter averaged 21.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.5 blocks, leading his team to a state title at Pace Academy last season.  During the camp season he played for CP3 in the Nike EYBL Circuit and had numbers of 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in a system where you play lesser minutes.

Having seen Carter play over the years, I can tell you that he's a baller.  He's likely a power forward but can play center.  He's big, long and imposing with solid basketball instincts.  Carter is simply  beast to be arround the rim where his presence alters shots.  He can drain a jump shot or put the ball on the floor to score and finishes strong around the basket.

Carter should flourish in the Duke system where he will likely be playing with some solid perimeter guys.  The Blue Devils might return Frank Jackson and Luke Kennard while adding Trent and others before others before the recruiting period is said and done.

The Blue Devils will now turn their attention to Kevin Knox, Matt Coleman and Mohamed Bamba.  And who knows, another player could be in the mix before all is said and done.

In closing, Duke got one of the best big men in the country to join Gary Trent and Alex O'Connell.  Those additions have the Blue Devils moving up in the team rankings and they are far from finished.

One of the nation's top sharpshooters, Gary Trent Jr. also known as G-Money, selected the Duke Blue Devils on ESPNU over Michigan State and UCLA.  Trent is a fill it up offensive standout who some say is a basket waiting to happen.

''At Duke it’s the brotherhood there and Coach K showing me the things that I can do there.  With Coach K, everything is top of the line,'' said Trent before donning a Duke cap.    He continued, “He wants me to come in and be who I am. He wants me to play my game. He wants my ego. Bring my whole package with me and be ready to play.”

Trent Jr. joins Alex O'Connell in a two-man class thus far in the early campaign.  Much like other Duke players past, he had a strong connection  to USA Basketball.  He also played AAU Basketball for Howard Pulley which produced Tyus Jones and has another Duke prospect for one season from now in Tre Jones.

The second player to be for Duke a season from now, visited Duke in an official capacity for Countdown to Craziness.  There, he joined his good friend Wendell Carter, who will be making his decision any day now as well.

The two could form yet another package deal for Duke and they will not stop recruiting there, for they're in hot pursuit of Coleman, Kevin Knox and Mohamed Bamba.  Both Trent Jr. and Carter Jr. sported Duke caps on their visit.

Trent is a consensus top ten or better pick and stands 6-5 weighing in at a legitimate 200 pounds.  He has a knack for scoring and opening the ga me up for teammates as teams concentrate on him.

As good as Trent is today, his game is still evolving where he hopes to become a triple threat player.  He has a good first step and can finish with both hands around the basket.  Also worth noting is that he is the son of Gary Trent, who had a successful NBA career.

Trent is a high-octane scorer with a tough mentality.  I have seen his work ethic up close and personal on the Nile EYBL Circuit where he drills in between games instead of socializing.  During the games he scores the ball in a variety of ways, but may be best off the dribble at this stage in his career.  He also has the tools to become a good lock down defender with some more coaching and work.