Keels becomes Duke’s third 5-star commit in ’21

Five-star guard Trevor Keels committed to Duke on Friday afternoon, giving the Blue Devils their third five-star prospect in the 2021 class.

Keels chose coach Mike Krzyzewski’s program over a final list that also included Virginia, Villanova and Kentucky.

“Me and Coach K have a great relationship,” Keels told ESPN. “He was always the same during the process. Straightforward guy. He told me what I needed to hear. He told me to change my body. I did, and now I’m lighter and more explosive.

“My game is not complete. I trust Coach K and Duke to help reach my goals of playing in the NBA. I am not looking just at the NBA. My focus is on the Duke team and winning college basketball games.”

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Paul VI High School in Virginia, Keels is ranked No. 19 overall in the ESPN 100 for 2021, slotting in as the No. 4 shooting guard in the country. He played on the grassroots circuit with Team Takeover, averaging 10.9 points per game in the spring and summer of 2019. Keels had several big scoring outings during the high school season, averaging 25 points in two games at the NIBC Invitational in January.

Keels joins frontcourt players Paolo Banchero (No. 3) and A.J. Griffin (No. 14) as five-star prospects in Duke’s 2021 class,

“Paolo Banchero has been recruiting me since he committed,” Keels said. “He could be a lottery pick but cares more about winning. That’s what I am about.”

Keels will also link up with a former Paul VI teammate when he gets to Durham in point guard Jeremy Roach, who started 18 games as a freshman this season.

“It was big,” Keels said of Roach being at Duke. “I played with him for four years, and we had success. He is a competitor. I learned from him at Paul VI. We had a lot of conversations about Duke. He was honest about everything. I trust him both on and off the court.”

A highly competitive player with impressive basketball instincts, Keels brings Duke an immediate floor spacer from the outside who has chemistry with Roach. Keels has a college-ready body, and his strength allows him to finish through contact and take defenders off the dribble. He is best at putting pressure on a defense with his consistent jumper. He displays little-to-no wasted motion in his attack, which makes him effective and efficient. He can hit the 3-point line in transition, while in the half-court set, Keels is more than a shot-maker; he is a scorer who understands how to read his man and use an off-ball screen or make a scoring cut with purpose.

Keels will replace DJ Steward, who left Thursday for the NBA draft after one season with the Blue Devils. Krzyzewski also already lost former five-star prospect Jalen Johnson before the end of the season, while leading scorer Matthew Hurt is ranked as a top-50 NBA draft prospect and could depart as well. Jordan Goldwire, Jaemyn Brakefield and Patrick Tape all entered the transfer portal.