DURHAM, N.C. – Head coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke men’s basketball program have announced the signing of three student-athletes during the early signing period, inking a trio of three of the country’s most highly-regarded players.
Wendell Carter Jr., Alex O’Connell and Gary Trent Jr. will enter the Duke program for the 2017-18 season.
6-10 // 255 // Fairburn, Ga. // Pace Academy
- A five-star recruit ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect and the No. 1 power forward in the class of 2017 by ESPN
- Rated as the No. 5 overall prospect in the class by Rivals.com
- Ranked No. 4 overall in the 2017 recruiting class by Scout.com
- Helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Argentina, averaging 13.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game
- Captured a second gold medal at the 2016 U17 World Championship in Spain, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team after averaging 10.1 points and 7.4 boards
- Selected for the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in October 2016
- Named an honorable mention All-American and a first-team Junior All-American in 2016 after averaging 21.6 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.5 blocks to lead Pace Academy to the Georgia Class AA state title
- Put up 30 points and 20 rebounds in the state final to propel Pace to the championship
- Also named the Georgia Class AA Player of the Year and the Atlanta/South Fulton Player of the Year in 2016 by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, as well as first-team all-state by both the AJC and USA Today
- Garnered Atlanta/South Fulton Player of the Year honors from the AJC as a sophomore in 2015 after averaging 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per contest
- Also named Georgia Region 6AA Player of the Year and a second-team Atlanta Tipoff Club All-Metro pick in 2015
6-6 // 175 // Milton, Ga. // Milton
- A four-star recruit ranked as the No. 88 overall prospect in the class of 2017 by ESPN
- Regarded as the No. 44 overall recruit in the class by Rivals.com
- Ranked No. 62 overall in the 2017 class by Scout.com
- Participated in the 2016 NBPA Top 100 Camp, where he averaged 9.5 points per game
- Averaged 14.1 points per game on the EYBL circuit for Team United in 2016
- Scored better than 22 points per game as a junior at Milton High School
- Earned honorable mention Georgia Class 6A all-state honors from the Atlanta Journal Constitution in 2016
- Father, David, played at Duke from 1973-76
6-6 // 205 // Burnsville, Minn. // Prolific Prep [Calif.]
- A five-star recruit ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect and the No. 1 shooting guard in the class of 2017 by ESPN
- Ranked No. 12 overall and No. 2 among shooting guards in the 2017 by Scout.com
- Rated as the No. 13 overall prospect in the class by Rivals.com
- Earned MVP honors at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship while leading the U.S. to gold with averages of 16.8 points and 2.8 rebounds
- Earned a second gold in Spain at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship, averaging 12.7 points and 3.9 boards for the U.S.
- Selected for the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in October 2016
- A four-year varsity student-athlete at Apple Valley (Minn.) High School after competing on the varsity level while in eighth grade
- Averaged 26.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for Apple Valley in 2016, earning fifth-team All-America and first-team Junior All-America honors from MaxPreps
- Also named Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year, a USA Today Minnesota Player of the Year and a Minneapolis Star Tribune first-team All-Metro in 2016
- Paced Apple Valley to the Minnesota 4A state title in 2015 with an average of 21.5 points per game, earning a place on the state tournament All-Tourney Team
- Garnered honorable mention Sophomore All-America honors from MaxPreps and first-team all-state accolades in 2015
