R.J. Barrett: Top high school hoops prospect commits to Duke over Kentucky, Oregon

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Canadian high school basketball star R.J. Barrett is taking his talents to Duke University.

Barrett, 17, made the announcement Friday on TSN. The 6 foot 6 five-star forward is the top prospect in the ESPN 100. The Blue Devils also claimed ESPN's top prospect in 2016 and 2017. Barrett attends Montverde Academy in Florida. He chose Duke over the University of Kentucky and Oregon.

Barrett reclassified to the class of 2018 after originally being part of the class of 2019. He was the MVP of the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic International game. Barrett also earned offers from Arizona, Michigan, Kansas and Indiana.

NBA legend Steve Nash is Barrett's godfather.

"Big Congrats to my Godson, @rjbarrett6!! @dukembb gets the best 17 year old in the world and an incredible person. Proud of you, RJ," Nash tweeted.

Small forward Cam Reddish is also committed to the Blue Devils. The Norristown, Pa. product is the No. 3 prospect in the ESPN 100 rankings. Duke also has the No. 10 prospect, Tre Jones. The Blue Devils have No. 1 prospect Marvin Bagley, III in the 2017 ESPN 100 and had No. 1 prospect Harry Giles in the 2016 ESPN 100.

Barrett is from Mississauga, Ontario. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and D'Angelo Russell also attended Montverde Academy.

The Blue Devils beat Elon 97-68 Friday in Durham and host Utah Valley at 7 p.m. Saturday. No. 1 Duke faces No. 2 Michigan State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the United Center in Chicago.