USC Men’s Basketball: Bagley III reclassifies to 2017; joins Duke over USC, UCLA

The summer of speculation surrounding the top high school recruit of 2018 Marvin Bagley III’s decision to reclassify into the 2017 class came to a head Monday night as the generational forward committed to the Duke Blue Devils.

In what was truly a monumental move, Bagley becomes the highest recruit in the history of Duke basketball and arguably the most talented in the history of men’s NCAA basketball.

Annoucing his decision on SportsCenter, Bagley’s decision was anticipated by just about everyone, but ultimately didn’t come as a surprise.

Earlier last month, we went through what a Bagley commitment would mean for USC:

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.

The fact the Trojans were even in contention to land the colossal recruit is a clear sign of the basketball program's resurgence. With 2018 commitments from five-star forward Taeshon Cherry and four-star guard Kevin Porter Jr.,USC is poised to remain a title contender for seasons to come.