Gary Trent to Duke: Blue Devils Land 5-Star SG Prospect

Shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. is unlikely to have any trouble with the spotlight. Having an NBA father can get you quickly accustomed to the limelight.

On Thursday, the 5-star prospect—whose father played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves—steered himself into the national spotlight by committing to play for Duke Blue Devils men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The sweet-shooting guard chose the Blue Devils over the Michigan State Spartans and UCLA Bruins, according to Scout.com's Evan Daniels.

The younger Trent told Daniels why he chose Duke:

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The reason I chose Duke University is the track record behind coach K, the brand behind K and that Duke basketball is top of the line. The way they run their whole program and how they run it today, is among the best, if not the best. I'm glad that I can event have the opportunity to be apart of something that special.

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A product of Prolific Prep in California, Trent is the 12th-ranked prospect in the country and the second-ranked shooting guard. Only Hamidou Diallo ranks higher on Scout.com's list.

Duke spent most of the recruiting process in the pole position for Trent—247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions gave the Blue Devils a 100 percent chance of adding Trent, with most highlighting Coach K's presence and Duke's recent trend of getting players to the NBA as the top reasons.

"Over the last couple of months, I got to know everybody pretty well," Trent said of the coaching staff, per Daniels. "Everybody is funny, and I have good camaraderie with them. I talk to them, and we joke a lot. I love them, and I'm glad that I can get coached up by them."

Earlier in the recruiting process, Trent and Wendell Carter Jr., another 5-star prospect, agreed to attend college together, per Jack LeGwin of SNY.tv. Carter is the fourth-best prospect in the country, according to Scout.com. We'll now see whether Trent and Carter are really a package deal or it was all talk.

"I'm going to stay in [Wendell's] ear and Kevin Know as well," Trent said Thursday, per Daniels. "I'm going to stay in their ear. But at the end of the day, they are going to do what's best for their families, and we all understand that."

Adding the two would give Duke one of the nation's 10 best recruiting classes—perhaps clinching a spot in the top five.

Trent wrote about the pair's visit to Duke in a blog for USA Today on Nov. 2:

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We talked a lot about how we'd fit in and how much we wanted to play together and we're still talking about it now. That's still our goal, but we both agree that we need the decision to be what's best for us first. It's tough on both of us because we've got great options so we're just staying in contact throughout the process and talking things out.

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The Blue Devils' 2016 recruiting class ranked first in the nation, according to Scout.com, their fourth straight top-three class. Coach K's increasing willingness to recruit one-and-done players, such as Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving and Philadelphia 76ers big man Jahlil Okafor, has turned Duke into a hotbed and made the Blue Devils a consistent title contender.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.