5-star big man Wendell Carter Jr. commits to Duke

Two weeks after landing five-star guard Gary Trent Jr., Duke has plucked another 5-star recruit out of the class of 2017. Wendell Carter Jr., ESPN’s No. 3 overall recruit, picked the chose the Blue Devils over Georgia, Georgia Tech and Harvard on Wednesday. He was the top uncommitted player in his class.

He made his announcement with a video:

At 6’9 and 254 pounds, Carter is ready to make an impact at the college level from day one. He has solid touch around the hoop, is a tenacious rebounder and has a high ceiling as a defender. In 2015, he won gold on Team USA’s U16 team, averaging 14 points on 55 percent shooting, nine rebounds and two blocks in five starts.

Read our feature from October on Carter’s fascinating recruitment.

Duke has a history of landing high-impact big men on the recruiting trail. Jahlil Okafor was the centerpiece of a national championship team in 2014, while Harry Giles and Marques Bolden are expected to anchor the middle for the Blue Devils this year once they get healthy. Carter is considered a one-and-done caliber player. He is projected as the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.

Carter and Trent have long discussed attending the same college, and Duke made it happen. The Blue Devils are expected to lose a ton of talent after this season, but now have the foundation for their next great team. Mike Krzyzewski continues to recruit as well as anyone in the country.