2018's No. 1 player Marvin Bagley talks shop
HILLSBORO, Ore. -- The No. 1 player in the class of 2018, 6-foot-10 power forward Marvin Bagley III is happy to be back on the floor and he's more focused than ever.
Due to transfer rules, Bagley missed much of his sophomore season at Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon. Now eligible, Bagley has been dominant in his play but is sure to credit his teammates.
"It's always a great feeling to come out and play the game I've been playing my whole life," Bagley told Rivals.com. "Especially with this group of guys that we have on this team. We are enjoying every moment, trying to get every win and going out and playing our hardest.
"I think I've played well. My teammates have found me in the post and been able to convert."
Bagley has exceptional quickness around the rim, size, touch and he's a big time athlete who has started to fill out his long and lean frame. He rebounds, he runs the floor and he has the kind of game that should translate to a very high level.
Though some have stepped up to challenge him, Bagley remains the top junior in the country and he's motivated to stay there.
"If you don't want to be the best then why play the game," said Bagley. "That's my mindset. I want to be the best player for my class and any class. It's not to be cocky, but me as a competitor that's what I work for. When I go through my workouts I think about that stuff.
"But whatever comes with it, I can't control it and I just want to play and win and get better as a player and do whatever I can to get wins for my team.
On the recruiting front, Bagley put together a list of Arizona, Arizona State, Duke, Kentucky, Oregon and UCLA a while ago. It was done to try and keep things from getting totally out of control.
"That's the reason I cut my list down, so I wouldn't have all of these schools coming at me at once," said Bagley. "Everybody was calling my phone and everybody was calling my dad so that's why we cut it down. I think it was a good idea to do that."
For the most part, Bagley has kept his recruitment under wraps and he's not taken a bunch of unofficial visits.
"I haven't been on any visits recently," said Bagley. "I might plan on doing them sometime later this year probably, but I don't know. I'm focused on the season right now. I have nothing planned."
Exactly when will Bagley start to focus on his recruitment? From the sounds of it, he won't start to look at things more seriously until after his junior year as he remains focused on his team.
"There's no telling," said Bagley about a recruitment time line. "It will be whenever the time comes for me to sit down with my dad and start really thinking about it. I'm only in my junior year and I've only played 10 games. I've got a long season left and want to help my team win games. Whatever happens after the season will take care of itself."