Top four frontrunners for five-star Duke basketball target Trevor Keels

A close contest is brewing for a top prep, and it involves Duke basketball.

The leaderboard in the recruitment of Paul VI (Va.) five-star Trevor Keels remains fluid and foggy (note the absence of Crystal Ball picks). One reason is that the 6-foot-5, 210-pound rising senior still hasn’t named finalists while now possessing about two dozen offers. But there seems little doubt at this stage that the Duke basketball staff sits at the table of legit contenders.

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In fact, in the eyes of some insiders, four programs might be separating themselves from the pack. True, a handful of others probably shouldn’t relinquish hope altogether; besides, with no clear hint from Keels at a timeline for naming finalists or deciding, it’s near impossible for observers to project with any level of certainty what the finish line will look like — not to mention when it will appear.

Nevertheless, using recent chatter as a guide, let’s look at four possible leaders in the race for Keels, who ranks No. 16 overall and No. 2 among shooting guards on the 247Sports 2021 Composite due to his lethal trigger from deep and versatility (the combination of his sweet stroke, hoops acumen, and impressive strength somewhat fit the mold of former Duke basketball one-and-done Gary Trent Jr.).

We’ll rank the perceived top four in ascending order of their forecasted probabilities at landing Keels. So where does Duke fall? Well, first we must begin here with the school that may have recently hurt its chances by winning a few too many recruiting battles at or close to his position…