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The Trojans may once again be on the cusp of bolstering their already stacked 2017 men’s basketball roster with one of the best high school recruits of the last decade in 2018’s top high school recruit Marvin Bagley III according to Jerry Meyer of 247 Sports.
An interesting note in Bagley's recruitment is some intel that has come to 247Sports of the possibility of him reclassifying up to the 2017 class. Bagley is scheduled to visit Duke and Coach K and staff have been doggedly tracking him. But the buzz is that hometown USC could be his desired destination as a potential 2017 recruiting...In the end, though, Bagley's recruitment has the feel of a Duke and USC showdown.
If Bagley does decide to reclassify and join the 2017 roster, there’s little doubt that the Trojans—for the first time in a GREAT…GREAT while, will be favorites to win the NCAA Tournament this upcoming season.
In Bagley, the Trojans would get an infusion of mind-blowing athleticism and complete scoring that is currently missing from the USC roster. Averaging 25.8 pointers per game as well as averaging 14.9 rebounds per game in Nike EYBL, Bagley has flourished among the nation’s best high school recruits, college players as well as current and former NBA players. Simply put, his talent is undeniable.
Already standing at 6’11”, Bagley would complement the immense size of the returning frontcourt featuring Trojan stalwart Bennie Boatwright at 6’10” as well as the nearly 7-foot Chimezie Metu. With the team structure consisting of an array of three-point shooters and the stretch-four as the focal point, Bagley would make the Trojans the best offensive team in the nation.
Looking beyond the 2017 season, this would solidify the change brought on by Andy Enfield as SC would finally be considered a basketball powerhouse with 2018 commitments from five-star forward Taeshon Cherry and four-star guard Kevin Porter Jr.
The combination of continued tournament success and nabbing bigtime recruits is the formula for winning as evident by Duke and Kentucky—and with a little luck, the Trojans will reap the rewards of sticking to it.