Marvin Bagley III recruiting update: More visits coming after Duke trip

The recruitment of Marvin Bagley III could last anywhere between another week and several more months.

The five-star forward and top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2018 is strongly considering a reclassification into 2017, making him eligible for the 2017-18 college basketball season. The Duke Blue Devils managed to get Bagley’s first official visit, and there was some thought he could commit soon after to get the ball rolling.

However, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish reports that Bagley is still planning to visit the USC Trojans and Arizona Wildcats in the coming weeks. Parrish adds that Bagley hasn’t even committed to joining the 2017 class, though it seems like a foregone conclusions at this point. He also writers that Duke, USC and Arizona all start classes next month, as USC and Arizona begin classes Aug. 21, while Duke begins a week later.

That’s why Bagley’s recruitment still has a lot of moving pieces that are being sped up for him to seriously consider a jump into 2017, as Matt Norlander wrote in as separate piece at CBS.

Still, it makes little sense for Bagley to stay in the 2018 class and have to wait another year before being eligible for the NBA Draft. Even if he joins a college team as a mid-semester enrollee, he’d still likely be the No. 1 or 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, which is something that almost no recruit is going to pass on.

Elsewhere, Rivals.com recruiting expert Eric Bossi also reports that Bagley will likely take more visits, and UK could be among them.

Kansas, Kentucky and UCLA remain in the mix and it wouldn't be a surprise to see some sort of visit happen for all of them as well. Additionally, whether or not Bagley III remains in 2018 or enrolls as a 2017 prospect is up in the air and Bagley's father Marvin Bagley II has said that no decision has been made.

It remains to be seen if the Kentucky Wildcats will actually squeeze in a visit with Bagley before he decides, though you’d have to think John Calipari is trying hard to make it happen. Bagley is too good of a player to lose out on without fighting ‘til the end for.

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