Duke’s recruiting pursuits in 2025 may be smaller class-wise than the 2024 class.
With the ever-growing dependency on the transfer portal for impact players year-to-year, it’s reasonable to believe that high school recruiting classes could potentially get smaller as teams try to find the right blend of high school talent and transfer portal adds to retool their rosters year to year. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer already said on The Brotherhood Podcast that an ideal class for him would include three or four signees.
With that in mind, it’s also important to note that Duke’s brand will allow them to be players amongst the best high schoolers in the country. Duke will always be an attractive destination, especially at the small forward and power forward positions, where Duke has become a factory of sorts over the last decade.
It’s hard to imagine any school competing with Duke in the forwards department as names like Jabari Parker, [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag], RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Marvin Bagley, Justise Winslow, Cam Reddish have all gone on to become first-round lottery picks after spending their time at Duke.
The Blue Devils could see the same potential in 2025 forward Nikolas Khamenia, a 6-foot-8 prospect they offered recently who plays at Harvard Westlake in California.
Excited to announce that I have received an offer from Duke University! pic.twitter.com/iUz7CNdhdO
— Nikolas Khamenia (@NikolasKhamenia) June 30, 2024
Khamenia, a modern power forward, can guard multiple positions. He is athletic enough not to be a liability and can stretch the floor when necessary.
In short, he’s like the Duke forwards of the past decade in many areas. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Duke would offer him. He’s also got plenty of room for physical and skill development, making him a multi-year guy who could help alleviate roster turnover concerns.
Khamenia is ranked 28th in the nation by 247Sports, and the site considers him the third-best player in California.
Alongside Duke, he has offers from UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga, Creighton, Kansas, and UNC.
There’s no actual timetable yet for a decision, but Duke’s offer should resonate with his recruitment.