Marvin Bagley III commits to Duke, officially reclassifies to 2017

Top-ranked 2018 recruit Marvin Bagley III announced his commitment to Duke and is officially reclassifying to the 2017 class.

Bagley III, who made his announcement Monday night live on Sportscenter, thanked coach Mike Krzyzewski and Blue Devil legend Danny Ferry for allowing the youngster to wear the No. 35 jersey that had been retired in Ferry's honor.

A 6-foot-11 point forward, Bagley III has a rare combination of size and skill that will make his eventual move to professional basketball a natural transition.

The phenom narrowed his decision down to three programs: Duke, UCLA, and USC. While the two California schools are presently closer to Sierra Canyon High School, where Bagley III is set to graduate from later this month, ESPN's Paul Biancardi notes his father, Marvin Bagley Jr., was born and raised in Durham, N.C., and played collegiate football in the state.

Bagley III was ranked atop ESPN's Top 100 recruits for the 2018 class prior to announcing his intent to reclassify. Once the NCAA assesses and approves his bid to forgo his senior year of high school and join the collegiate ranks, Bagley III will contend with current 2017 No. 1 recruit Michael Porter Jr., who signed on with Missouri in March this year.