PORTLAND, Ore. — Five-star uncommitted center Marques Bolden has been a popular target for media and teammates all week while at the Nike Hoop Summit. While reporters try to get a glimpse into Bolden’s thought process, there are three Duke commits (Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Frank Jackson) and two Kentucky commits (De’Aaron Fox and Wenyen Gabriel) who want to add Bolden to their recruiting class.
“It would probably have to be Harry,” said Bolden when discussing which teammate had been the most active recruiter. “With all of the time we have spent off the court, it’s been a lot more than I expected, so I would have to go with him.”
The 6-foot-10 big man from DeSoto (TX) is down to Duke and Kentucky, and will have an in-home visit with the Duke staff on Sunday, a source confirmed to SNY.tv.
Asked when he might announce, Bolden said, “I don’t have a time table. I just need to figure out what the best situation is going to be.”
“He reminds me of a younger, slimmer Jahlil Okafor,” ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla said on air. “Moves really well, light on his feet.”
During the practices leading up to Saturday’s Nike Hoop Summit (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2), Bolden used his size to score down low and was the recipient of several alley-oop passes in the team’s last scrimmage on Friday night.
“I think I’m holding up pretty well,” said Bolden. “You kind of get tired at times, but then you remember what you’re doing and you try not to look at it like that. I’m thankful to be competing in all of these events and I think I’m doing pretty well. Personally I know I can play a lot better and do a lot better. It’s been cool competing at the Hoop Summit and learning all the new plays.”
Throughout the weeks leading up to the McDonald’s All-American game and the Hoop Summit, Bolden was primarily matched another uncommitted big man from Texas in Jarrett Allen, who is also undeclared.
“It’s good going against him,” Bolden said. “He makes you work on both ends of the court. Offensively and defensively. It’s been great having someone that gets you better everyday in practice.
As for the game, Bolden will face off against another familiar target in Kansas-bound big man Udoka Azubuike.
“We are going to have a physical battle, so I’m looking forward to that,” said Bolden.
The U.S. team instituted a policy of switching all screens in practice in preparation for the game against the World team. As such, Bolden has often been forced into uncomfortable positions on the perimeter against quicker guards.
“Yeah, definitely, that’s something I’ve been working on,” Bolden said. “That’s how the game is turning into. Pick and rolls and people stretching the floor. So I’ve really been working on my agility.”
On Thursday night, Kevin Durant showed up to watch the U.S. team play and while a favorite for many of the players, Bolden mentioned Anthony Davis as the player he tried to emulate the most. He also reminisced about his opportunity to go against Davis last summer at the Nike Skills Academy in Santa Monica, CA.
“Going against the pros in the Skills Academy was the toughest competition I faced,” said Bolden. “LeBron James, Demar DeRozan, but the toughest guy I had to match-up against was probably Anthony Davis.”
NFive-star uncommitted center Marques Bolden has been a popular target for media and teammates all week while at the Nike Hoop Summit. While reporters try to get a glimpse into Bolden’s thought process, there are three Duke commits (Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Frank Jackson) and two Kentucky commits (De’Aaron Fox and Wenyen Gabriel) who want to add Bolden to their recruiting class.
