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Top 2019 recruit R.J. Barrett reclassifies to 2018

Sam Forencich / National Basketball Association / Getty

R.J. Barrett is no longer the top high school recruit for the 2019 class on ESPN's big board; the godson of NBA legend Steve Nash and the standout performer on Team Canada's FIBA U-19 gold-medal-winning squad declared his intention to enter college a year earlier.

"Well, after thinking things over with my family for a while I have officially decided to reclassify to the 2018 class," Barrett announced in a blog for USA Today Sports on Monday.

With former top 2018 ESPN 100 recruit Marvin Bagley III reclassifying to the 2017 class earlier this week, Barrett will have an opportunity to battle No. 2 recruit Zion Williamson for top billing among their fellow prospects.

"I still want to be the best player in the class and the only way to make that happen is through hard work," Barrett wrote. "Not too much will change with my approach to the recruitment; we’ll just do the visits a little sooner than we probably would have if I stayed in 2019."

Barrett revealed a long list of teams lining up for the chance to bring him into their programs, including Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, UCLA, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, USC, UConn, and UNLV. It's a veritable who's-who of powerhouse NBA talent factories, but not surprising considering the rapid physical maturation and elite skill set that Barrett has displayed throughout his teenage years.

"I haven’t set anything up yet for sure with visits, but we’ll get to that," he wrote. "Right now I’m training very hard doing two-a-days (and) getting in a lot of skill work."

Whichever school lands the 6-foot-8, 17-year-old forward might not have him for long; barring injury or unforeseen circumstances, Barrett will likely be among the top prospects for the 2019 NBA draft at the conclusion of his freshman season.

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