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Duke adds fourth five-star to 2016 class

Marques Bolden
Marques Bolden
Rivals.com

Duke's already outstanding and second ranked recruiting class for 2016 received a big boost on Thursday when five-star center Marques Bolden committed to the Blue Devils.

A 6-foot-11 big man out of DeSoto (Texas) High, Bolden made his decision official during an announcement at his high school.

“I’m glad to announce at this time that next year I’ll be attending Duke," said Bolden at the announcement.

“It was really a tough decision. This decision could really determine the rest of my life. I’m putting my future in these coaches hands so I have to be sure that I can trust them.”

“The deciding factor was the relationship I had with the coaching staff. I’ve talked to a lot of coaching staffs over the years and I felt the most at home with the Duke coaching staff.”

RIVALS' REACTION...

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Not that Mike Krzyzewski and Duke ever went way, but the resurgence of the Blue Devils on the recruiting trail continues in an impressive fashion.

Before getting to the rest of the Blue Devils' loaded class, let's focus on what Bolden brings to the table.

Ranked No. 11 overall in the class of 2016, Bolden is an elite center prospect who has the ability to be as good as he wants to be. He brings imposing size and strength to the position, he protects the rim on defense, he rebounds at a high rate, he has great hands and he is a very skilled scorer.

Bolden is comfortable operating on either the right or the left block, finishes with either hand and has a well developed arsenal of fakes, drop steps, up and under moves, counters, jump hooks and short jumpers. About the only knock is that his motor can sometimes run a bit hot and cold and he's not always as physically imposing as he could be.

Now look at the rest of the Duke class. Assuming power forward Harry Giles (No. 2 overall) can make a return at close to 100% health the Blue Devils have a handful of potential one and done players. Small forward Jayson Tatum (No. 3 overall) has a well developed mid range game and can post up, and combo guard Frank Jackson (No. 12 overall) can be a big time scorer. Power forward Javin Delaurier (No. 39 overall) is a four-star prospect who brings energy to the table while Australian forward Jack White (non ranked 3-star) figures to add depth down the road.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Blue Devils are done with 2016 and return some very talented players from their 2015-16 team. They will have a huge target on their backs during the 2016-17 season to live up to what are going to be high expectations and while they've not yet landed any recruits in the class of 2017, it is looking like them and Kentucky are gearing up for another big time battle for the top class in the country.

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