IMG’s Trevon Duval announces he will play basketball at Duke

An offseason marked by so many losses has ended with two major additions that have Duke primed to challenge for the ACC championship once again.

After adding four-star small forward Jordan Tucker on Saturday, Duke secured a commitment from IMG Academy’s five-star point guard Trevon Duval on Monday morning.

The additions of those two freshmen, who are expected to be starters when the new season begins in November, help soothe the loss of eight players from last season’s ACC championship team.

Duke heavily recruited five-star small forward Kevin Knox of Tampa Catholic, only to see the 6-8 superstar pick Kentucky instead. But the Blue Devils quickly pivoted to Tucker and filled their need for a high-scoring wing.

Duval’s decision to pick Duke over Kansas, Baylor, Seton Hall and Arizona gives the Blue Devils the true playmaking point guard they’ve lacked the last two seasons. With 6-5, 202-pound senior Grayson Allen and incoming 6-5, 200-pound freshman Gary Trent Jr. able to provide scoring punch at shooting guard, along with Tucker at small forward, Duke possesses a dynamic backcourt with all the pieces.

With the 6-3, 190-pound Duval secured, that allows three-star point guard Jordan Goldwire to fill a smaller role as a reserve. That’s what Duke’s coaches had in mind when they made a late push to get Goldwire, who would have signed with Eastern Kentucky had Duke not started recruiting him in late April.

Now Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will have options. A backcourt featuring Duval with Allen or Trent, and Tucker at small forward gives Duke size. The Blue Devils could go smaller and quicker with Duval, Allen and Trent on the court at the same time.

Duke remains in the running for Mohamed Bamba, a 7-foot, 216-pound five-star center from New York. But adding him would be a luxury now rather than must-have players like Tucker and Duval were.

After winning the ACC tournament but losing in the NCAA tournament’s second round during a 28-9 season, the Blue Devils suffered significant losses.

Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones completed their careers after starting as seniors last season.

Freshman Harry Giles joined classmates Jackson and Tatum in entering the NBA Draft. So too did 6-6 sophomore Luke Kennard after he led the team in scoring (19.5 points) during an all-ACC season.

Reserve big men Chase Jeter and Sean Obi transferred.

Jackson heading to the NBA — even though he’s not projected as a first-round pick — made things worse for Duke and losing out on Knox was a tough blow to absorb. Things got better, though, over the last three days with Tucker and Duval in the fold.

Duke missed out on the No. 1 small forward in the class of 2017 in Knox. But the Blue Devils added the top-rated recruits at point guard (Duval), shooting guard (Trent) and power forward (Wendell Carter). So, once again, Duke will be in play to win the ACC and challenge for a Final Four berth.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 7:29 PM with the headline "IMG’s Trevon Duval announces he will play basketball at Duke."