Duke basketball: Blue Devils trending for five-star 2021 guard

Duke basketball looks to be sitting pretty for coveted senior Trevor Keels.

Three 2021 recruits remain on the Duke basketball wishlist. All three boast five-star ratings and rank inside the top 30 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite: Hamilton (Wis.) small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. now at No. 4 overall, Paul VI (Va.) shooting guard Trevor Keels at No. 20, and IMG (Fla.) center Charles Bediako at No. 26.

Of those three, it now sounds as if the staff in Durham is probably in the best shape for Trevor Keels, a former teammate of current Blue Devil freshman point guard Jeremy Roach.

In September, Keels included Duke among his finalists along with two others: Virginia and Villanova. Ever since then, the 247Sports Crystal Ball has shown the blueblood recruiting power as the clear frontrunner. However, all three predictions come from Blue Devil experts. Plus, at the same time, the Rivals FutureCast has held only one prediction, and that pointed to the Wildcats.

As of Wednesday, though, the Rivals expert who had forecasted Keels to Villanova, Justin Thind, has officially flipped his prediction to Duke.

Maybe Thind knows something. Or maybe his flip was just the result of a hunch.

Either way, there are other notable insiders out there, such as Jake Weingarten of Stock Risers, who have hinted at an edge for Duke in recent months.

So chances are Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants like where they stand as Keels heads down the homestretch of his recruitment. After all, the Blue Devils did host him for an unofficial visit in March, coinciding with a victory on Senior Night against UNC; therefore, it’s not as if he would be committing without ever stepping on campus or meeting face-to-face with the coaches.

When will the Duke basketball recruiting target make up his mind?

Last week, Trevor Keels suggested in an interview with Eric Bossi of 247Sports that his timeline remains up in the air:

“I haven’t decided when I’m going to pick. I’m still hearing from all three schools; I’m still picking their brains. I just don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”

Keels is a 6-foot-5, 210-pound versatile perimeter weapon who is fresh off a triple-double on Wednesday night with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 104-73 home win over Bishop McNamara (Md.). Here’s the most recent scouting report from 247Sports director of basketball scouting Jerry Meyer:

“Tremendous physical strength for a shooting guard. Has length as well. Highly competitive with an impressive basketball IQ. Plays a power game but can score from all three levels. Solid ball-handler. Good passer. Has the strength to be a better rebounder. Solid defender.”

If Trevor Keels does indeed choose to become a Duke basketball player, then he’d join the program’s two early 2021 signees: O’Dea (Wash.) five-star power forward Paolo Banchero, who ranks No. 3 overall, and Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) five-star small forward AJ Griffin, who ranks No. 7.

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