Wendell Carter recruiting update; Stresses he has no leader

It has been the common perception over the past few months that five-star basketball recruit Wendell Carter would eventually end up at Duke.

However, after Team USA U17 training camp he told the Herald-Leader that he has no favorite at the moment. He even singled out the fact that he's visited Duke twice as part of why people thinks he Blue Devils lead.

"That’s the only school I’ve been to twice, so I guess I can respect why they think I’m going to Duke," Carter said. "But it’s not a definite at all."

The 6'10 big man out of Atlanta will be busy the next few weeks in Spain playing with Team USA so there won't be much said about his recruitment most likely for the next few weeks.

As for his game, he is a big strong post player that averaged 21.6 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks a game as a junior in high school. He also has the bonus of being a winner, leading his team to the state title as a junior and earning All-American honors.

The top-five recruit in the class of 2017 also plays for one of the favorites to win the Peach Jam this season, Team CP3 for which he averages 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds.

As for the reason that people think Duke is his favorite? Carter says he guesses it's because Duke is the only place that he has visited twice. However, Carter went on to say that he plans on visiting UK in October for Big Blue Madness and believes that he will have a few friends joining him for the trip to Lexington, Kevin Knox and Gary Trent Jr.

Carter did have some things to say that may suggest he could be leaning towards Kentucky and John Calipari's "player-first" philosophy.

"First, I'm looking for a school that will take me in, so I can use them instead of them using me," Carter said. "Help me get to the next level instead of them taking me in to make their school look good."

Although academics have been a major factor in the Carter's recruitment, when it comes to the Wildcats, he said, "they know how to get players to the league and that's where I want to go." Does this mean he's really leaning UK?

One thing is for sure, there will be a lot of discussion regarding his recruitment in the coming months.