It was a Seton Hall-themed homecoming for Trevon Duval on Sunday afternoon.
The nation’s No. 1 point guard recruit and Seton Hall’s top target in the Class of 2017 returned to New Jersey this past weekend and put on a show, going for 22 points as IMG Academy defeated The Patrick School in front of a capacity crowd at Roselle Catholic High School on Feb. 2.
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Trevon Duval is the No. 1 point guard recruit in the country and No. 5 out of all positions. Photo via Twitter/DatGuy_Trey.[/caption]
Duval, who played his first two years of high school basketball at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, was greeted by Seton Hall’s entire coaching staff, as well as players Myles Powell, Angel Delgado and Desi Rodriguez. Additionally, roughly 150 Pirates fans flocked to Roselle Catholic to show their support for Duval.
“I was really, really surprised about that,” Duval said of the outpouring from the Seton Hall contingent. “Seeing two stands full of Seton Hall fans, I’m glad that they showed love to me and came out to support. It shows that the fans are pretty excited and committed to the recruiting class and to the program.”
Duval’s recruitment has come down to Seton Hall, Duke, Kansas, Arizona and Baylor. He will visit Duke as the Blue Devils take on North Carolina on Feb. 9. He will take a trip to Arizona at the end of the month.
“I’m excited to go to that North Carolina-Duke game,” Duval said. “It’s kind of a kid’s dream to go to those games and I’m excited to see what they have to offer.”
Seton Hall may be going up against some blue blood programs, but it is still in the thick of things with Duval. A major pitch from coach Kevin Willard and the staff has been the program’s proximity to New York and Duval’s ability to market himself. The idea is that he could increase not only his exposure to the media, but to NBA scouts as well.
“That’s something that they definitely pitch to me,” Duval said. “It’s something that I’m taking into consideration with them and it’s great to have all of those kind of resources around me.”
Another factor in Duval’s recruitment has been his relationship with Powell. The two played AAU together for the New Jersey Playaz and have maintained a close friendship, which could potentially play a big role in Seton Hall’s chances of landing Duval.
“Myles has been in touch lately and he was here today more as a friend,” Duval said. “I’m hanging out with him later, so I’ll probably hear a bunch of Seton Hall stuff from him.”
A decision from Duval is not imminent, as he plans to take all of his visits before making one.
Duval was not the only Seton Hall target on the floor on Sunday, as The Patrick School features Class of 2018 point guard target Jordan Walker. He had 11 points in the loss.
The former New Jersey hoop star’s return was electrifying, as Duval sent the gym into a frenzy midway through the second quarter with a crossover and a thunderous tomahawk dunk on a fastbreak. As much fun as it was for the fans to watch Duval play, he had just as much, if not more, fun in his return to the Garden State.
“It was Tricky Tre’ day,” Duval said with a smile.
Tyler Calvaruso can be reached at tyler.calvaruso@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @tyler_calvaruso.
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