Why Duke, NC State could still land top recruits like Mohamed Bamba, Trevon Duval, Brian Bowen

The news that Kevin Knox II was going to Kentucky instead of Duke or North Carolina may have hurt some Triangle basketball fans, but there are still some undecided recruits interested in local schools.

The deadline to sign a letter of intent is May 17, and many recruits are expected to announce their decision by then. Here are the top uncommitted recruits that could end up at a Triangle college:

Trevon Duval (Duke)

Trevon Duval, a 6-3, 190-pound point guard, is rated the No. 5 overall prospect, according to 247sports’ composite rankings. He is perhaps Duke’s most important remaining recruit.

Duval is a pass-first point guard – something Duke lacked last season.

Duke’s chances at landing Duval seemed to shrink a little when Grayson Allen announced he was returning for his senior season. Allen will likely be a starter next season along with Gary Trent Jr., the top high school shooting guard in the country.

At the time of Allen’s announcement, Duke freshman guard Frank Jackson, who emerged as a starter late in the season, had not said whether he would declare for the draft. He eventually did, but without hiring an agent.

That reopens the door for Duval to fit in at Duke.

Duval has visited Duke multiple times, including the Duke-Carolina game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 9.

Duval is also interested in Kansas, Arizona, Baylor and Seton Hall.

Duval has not said when he will make a decision, but he wrote in a recent blog for USA Today that it would come soon. In that post, he also said he was ready to get it over with.

Mohamed Bamba (Duke)

Mohamed Bamba, a 6-11, 207-pound forward, is rated the No. 2 overall prospect, according to 247sports’ composite rankings. He played for Westtown School in Pennsylvania last season.

Bamba rose in 247sports’ updated rankings after a strong showing in the McDonald’s All-American game. He finished with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks.

He’s interested in Duke, Kentucky, Texas, Arizona and Michigan.

Bamba is a player who will make an immediate impact. But with the addition of Wendell Carter, a 6-10, 262-pound forward and McDonald’s All-American, and the return of freshman Marques Bolden, a 6-11, 245-pound forward and former McDonald’s All-American who will likely have an increased role next season, it appears less likely Bamba would go to Duke.

It’s possible that Bamba will choose Kentucky after Knox, his close friend, chose to go there.

Bamba said he will take his time when making his decision. It could come after the May 17 deadline, meaning he’d have to sign a financial aid agreement.

Brian Bowen (N.C. State)

Brian Bowen, a 6-7, 194-pound wing forward, is the No. 15 overall recruit in the country, and ranked No. 4 at his position, according to 247sports’ composite rankings. He was the best player on one of the top high school teams in the country, La Lumiere School in Indiana.

He was heavily recruited by former N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried.

“I love Coach Gottfried, he’s been recruiting me for a while,” Bowen said at the McDonald’s All-American game in March. “Their assistants have been talking to me, so it’s a little bit up in the air.”

Bowen is also interested in Arizona, Michigan State, Creighton and Texas.

Other schools, like Florida State and Oregon, have emerged recently. However, he still lists N.C. State in his top five, which is a good sign for the Wolfpack.

CJ Bryce (N.C. State)

CJ Bryce, a 6-5, 180-pound sophomore guard transfer from UNC-Wilmington, was the team’s leading scorer last season, while Kevin Keatts was coach. He averaged 17.4 points per game, 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Now at N.C. State, Keatts may try to bring in Bryce.

Bryce was granted a transfer from UNCW last week, and he’ll have to sit next season, per the NCAA’s transfer rules. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

According to ESPN, Bryce wasn’t sure whether he’d visit N.C. State this weekend.

“N.C. State is at the top of my list because of Coach Keatts, but I’m still open,” Bryce told ESPN.

He has also received phone calls from Maryland, Gonzaga, Texas, Wake, Miami and South Carolina.

Jordan Tucker (Duke)

Jordan Tucker, a a 6-7, 200-pound small forward, played his senior year at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. He is ranked No. 77 by 247sports.com.

Tucker tweeted Sunday that he had received an offer from Duke. The offer came less than 24 hours after the Blue Devils found out they weren’t getting Knox. He is visiting Duke on Wednesday.

Tucker is also said to be interested in Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Why Duke, NC State could still land top recruits like Mohamed Bamba, Trevon Duval, Brian Bowen."