Chase Jeter spent most of his freshman year watching from the bench during crunch time against ACC opponents, but he outshined several of his counterparts in the conference Saturday night.
The sophomore forward scored a game-high 21 points in an Adidas Nations exhibition game in Garden Grove, Calif., leading his Wizards team to an 84-77 win against the Magic. Jeter’s teammates included North Carolina standout Justin Jackson and N.C. State returning starters Malik Abu and Maverick Rowan among other established college players, but it was Jeter who stole the show by going 9-of-14 from the field and adding six rebounds and two assists.
A highly touted five-star big man entering his freshman season, Jeter underperformed relative to expectations, averaging 1.9 points in 7.9 minutes per game. Playing time will likely be hard to come by next year for the Las Vegas native with redshirt senior Amile Jefferson leading a frontcourt that will include five-star freshmen Harry Giles and Marques Bolden, but Jeter’s performance Saturday may be a sign that he is ready to become a major contributor.
Many of Duke’s primary targets in the Class of 2017 were also in action at the Adidas Nations tournament in Garden Grove.
Wendell Carter, Kevin Knox, Hamidou Diallo, Gary Trent Jr. and D.J. Harvey were teammates on the Team Harden squad that won the championship with a 5-0 record in four days at the Next Level Sports Complex.
Carter—ESPN’s No. 2 player in the Class of 2017—averaged 12.8 points per game in four games, shooting 60.7 percent from the field and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-9 power forward also proved to be a strong interior presence on the defensive end, blocking 2.0 shots per game.
Five-star shooting guards Diallo and Trent Jr. led Team Harden to its first win of the weekend against Team Rose Friday night. Trent Jr. scored 22 points and knocked down three 3-pointers and Diallo added 21 points and six rebounds in the 83-74 victory.
Trent Jr. did not reach double figures in scoring again in his last three games of the weekend, but Diallo finished strong with 10 points Sunday night and 12 points in a 123-96 rout of Team Canada in the championship game Monday.
Trent Jr. kept Duke in consideration when he cut his list to five schools Tuesday morning. The Apple Valley, Minn., native told ESPN he is also considering Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan State and UCLA.
Recruiting update: No.9 Gary Trent Jr. tells ESPN his final five. Arizona,Duke,Kentucky, Michigan State & UCLA. https://t.co/CAgyvJaQax
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) August 2, 2016
Knox—the No. 2 small forward in the 2017 class—shined in Monday's championship with 14 points to match his tournament high after scoring 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting Saturday against Team Wiggins. The Tampa, Fla., native averaged 9.0 points in four games at the tournament but added just 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
Harvey had a consistent weekend for Team Harden, scoring at least nine points in all five contests and averaging 10.4 points per game. A 6-foot-6 wing from Bowie, Md., Harvey is the No. 36 player in his class.
Four-star forward Deng Gak played in five games at the tournament for Team Asia Pacific, averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The Blairstown, N.J., native shot 6-of-7 from the field and scored 14 points in a loss against Team Canada Saturday night.
Gak narrowed the list of schools he is considering to five Monday night, including Duke along with Kansas, Indiana, Florida and Miami.
Final 5 schools!!! @truthdesign1 pic.twitter.com/B3bRarf1pD
— Deng Gak (@DengGak7) August 2, 2016
Forward Mohamed Bamba played in just one game during the tournament, helping lead Team Rose to a win against Team Lillard Saturday with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting and five rebounds. The No. 3 player in the Class of 2017, Bamba received a scholarship offer from the Blue Devils last July.
According to 247sports analysts, Duke is favored to land Trent Jr., Knox, Carter, Bamba and Gak.
Check back with the Blue Zone throughout the year for the latest Blue Devil recruiting news.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.