Trent officially declares for the draft

[TJ99]

per office Duke Basketball twitter.

[lotusland]

So much for that hope. Good luck Gary. Thanks for passing through.

[DevilFalcon]

Good luck in the league! Represent the brotherhood well!

[godins]

Raise your hand if, especially after his mom's article about the "all-con" college basketball experience, WC would be the last to declare for the draft. Hmmm.

Also, good luck to Gary Trent! Had we gone further in the tournament, a la 2015, I think we would have seen Gary as a Tyus Stones reincarnate. That man has some cojones.

[MrPoon]

This was the least likely of the inevitable four announcements, but here we are. I wonder what his season would have looked like if he wasn’t the fifth option. He had an under rated ability to get inside and a nice mid range game that will help him, and of corse that three, when falling was lethal. Add that to good size and he should have a solid pro future. What will proabaly serve him best though is that toughness that he even flashed in the blue-white game going back and forth against Grayson. It showed up at different stretches but I always enjoyed when he dug in is heals and made a play.
Thanks for the memories and I’m sure you’ll represent your family and the program well.

[richardjackson199]

Here's the link:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

[Saratoga2]

Here's the link:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.db...DB_OEM_ID=4200

I don't see where it said he has hired an agent, but it is pretty clear that he is gone.

[CDu]

I don't see where it said he has hired an agent, but it is pretty clear that he is gone.

Yeah, Duke players haven’t really done the “test the waters” thing. When they declare, they go.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Good luck! Next play...

[arnie]

Yeah, Duke players haven’t really done the “test the waters” thing. When they declare, they go.

That; and I think when our guys’ HS rankings are high they have the mindset when they show up they’re OAD.

Lots of peer pressure when you’re an elite recruit to leave; otherwise, your year in college might be perceived as a failure.

I think Trent gets drafted, just not sure he gets the 2nd contract.

[TKG]

Next five, please.

[johnb]

It's interesting to me that we are not only recruiting exceptionally well, our elite recruits seem focused on getting to the NBA asap, regardless of whether they'll be first round picks. This isn't necessarily true elsewhere. Maybe it's the idea that if you're at a OAD school like Duke or Kentucky, a delay will be seen as failure, but it seems fairly clear that Trent and Duval are likely to drift into the second round and aren't entirely ready to be NBA players. One could say they have the bodies and basketball IQ to excel and that they would have been All ACC if they weren't playing with three better players, but it seems just as likely that they benefited from being the 4th and 5th options. Trent got a lot of open shots (JJ was a MUCH better shooter under pressure), and Duval had the opportuniy to pass to a whole team full of efficient scorers. Both had great moments and would fit on NBA teams, but they are young and inconsistent.

Since Bagley and Carter strike me as truly NBA ready, every day, and Allen is Allen, and we have great coaches and a solid bench, one could suggest that if Trent and Duval had been truly NBA ready, right now, every night, we should have been completely dominant as a team. But we weren't. If I were an NBA scout, I'd be wary. On the other hand, both Trent and Duval strike me as good guys with impressive physical gifts, so maybe they'd be a good risks to develop into rotation players within a few years.

As for the college degree... I'd guess that a degree is almost necessary to be a division I or NBA coach or an espn announcer, but that tends to go to a fairly small percentage of former duke players. I'd guess our former players lead the elite NCAA schools in non-playing salaries following graduation, but I don't know how smoothly things go if you aren't the kind of guy who is going to end up on Sports center or on the Duke coaching bench. There are plenty of visible examples of success, but it is likely to be tough if you leave school after a year, bank maybe $1m after a 2-5 year career, and then don't have a skill or a degree. What are you ready to do? Has anyone done a spread sheet on what Duke players do after graduation and/or after their stint in one of the pro leagues?

[Bob Green]

...but it seems fairly clear that Trent and Duval are likely to drift into the second round and aren't entirely ready to be NBA players.

NBADraft.net has all five Duke starters going in the 1st Round:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2018mock_draft

[Ian]

NBADraft.net has all five Duke starters going in the 1st Round:

http://www.nbadraft.net/2018mock_draft

Again, NBAdraft.net is probably the least trustworthy mock draft.

[Bob Green]

Again, NBAdraft.net is probably the least trustworthy mock draft.

I don't know beans about the various mocks. That one came up toward the top when I did a google search.

[BigWayne]

I don't know beans about the various mocks. That one came up toward the top when I did a google search.

That means they are either paying Google or they are good at triggering the search algorithm.

[MChambers]

Raise your hand if, especially after his mom's article about the "all-con" college basketball experience, WC would be the last to declare for the draft. Hmmm.

So you’re saying there’s a chance? 😉

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Amazing how differently we might feel about these particular players had Grayson's shot rolled in.

[Dukehky]

You can't be super pumped and excited to get top 10 recruits and then be a jerk when they decide to leave. He was a top 10 recruit, the plan was to be here 1 year. The staff recruited him for that reason, sorry you were naive and thought he might come back.

I don't think Gary is a tremendous NBA prospect either, but I kinda knew what the deal was coming in. I would have loved to have seen him come back. I'll watch him next year if he ever gets on a court, and I'll pull for him. I actually think that he probably should leave now before his weaknesses become deficiencies that no one thinks can be corrected.

I thought there was a chance too, but as time progressed after the season, reality started to hit.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

He laced them up for Duke, played his heart out, and gave us some good games. Do I wish he was staying around? Sure. Do I understand why he isn't? Absolutely.

The system is the part that is [messed up]. Not the players. Our players are still our guys and I will wish them well.

If you are expecting this top tier talent to fall in love with the college experience and forgo the millions waiting for them, you are going to be disappointed over and over again.

As far as wanting to swap places with UNC, well, I suspect you are on your own.