Tag: duke basketball recruiting

Carlos Boozer’s twin sons, Cayden and Cameron Boozer, set unofficial Duke basketball visit

Cameron and Cayden Boozer, twin sons of Duke basketball legend Carlos Boozer, will unofficially visit the Blue Devils this weekend, per report.

The Boozer family legacy could continue on basketball courts in Durham soon.

Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the twin sons of former Blue Devil Carlos Boozer, will reportedly take an unofficial visit to Duke basketball this weekend.

247Sports’ Travis Branham first reported the news on Wednesday, saying the Blue Devils will be the first of three schools on the brother’s schedule over the coming weeks.

Cameron, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is 247Sports’ second-ranked player in the Class of 2025. With the Blue Devils out of the running for top-ranked AJ Dybantsa, the taller Boozer brother figures to be the top target for head coach Jon Scheyer on the trail.

While Cayden, a 6-foot-4 point guard, hasn’t gained the same national attention as his twin brother, he’s 19th in the 247Sports Class of 2025 rankings in his own right.

The brothers play for Columbus High School in Miami, and the Explorers finished 29-6 in 2023-24. Cameron averaged a team-high 22.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, and Cayden paced the team with 7.6 assists per game while averaging 12.0 points.

Branham reported that the duo will also visit the Hurricanes and the Florida Gators from their home state.

Five-star 2025 forward sets official Duke basketball visit for September, per report

According to a Friday report from 247Sports’ Dushawn London, five-star 2025 forward Dwayne Aristode will visit Duke in late September.

The Duke basketball program will host a five-star 2025 prospect in late September, according to one Friday report.

247Sports’ Dushawn London wrote that Dwayne Aristode, the 19th-ranked player in 247Sports Composite rankings for the Class of 2025, will make an official visit with the Blue Devils from September 20-22.

Aristode, who plays for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, measures out at 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds. He averaged 12.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game as a junior last season, and the Bobcats finished with a 27-7 record.

The small forward joins a lengthy list of 2025 targets for head coach Jon Scheyer. While the Blue Devils haven’t earned a commitment yet (and missed out on top-ranked recruit AJ Dybantsa), Duke has been connected to names like Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Nate Ament, and Shelton Henderson, all of whom are within the top 25 in the Composite rankings.

London also wrote that Aristode set up visits with Michigan State and USC. The five-star will visit the Spartans in late August and the Trojans just days before he heads to Durham.

Aristode has also fielded offers from Arizona, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and Connecticut.

Five-star 2026 basketball prospect reportedly set for unofficial Duke visit

According to a Wednesday report from League Ready, 2026 five-star Jordan Smith Jr. will take an unofficial visit to Duke in September.

Duke basketball head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] remains years ahead on the recruiting trail.

According to a Wednesday report from League Ready’s Sam Kayser, five-star prospect Jordan Smith Jr. from the Class of 2026 will take an unofficial visit to Durham on September 28th.

Smith, who is currently 247Sports’ eighth-ranked player in the class, plays for Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia. Duke basketball fans who keep a keen eye on incoming talent should recognize the school as home to four-star forward Patrick Ngongba II and four-star guard Darren Harris, two members of the Blue Devils’ 2024 recruiting class.

Harris, Ngongba, and Smith led Paul VI to the championship game at Chipotle Nationals this year, falling to fellow Blue Devil [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and Montverde Academy.

Smith averaged 10.0 points per game over the final three rounds of the tournament, including a 15-point performance in the quarterfinals against IMG Academy. Harris, notably, scored 36 points in that same game.

Only time will tell if Scheyer can land a third Paul VI star in three cycles, but the Blue Devils remain key players in Smith’s recruitment.

Duke basketball makes the final five schools for four-star 2025 forward

Nikolas Khamenia, a four-star forward and a top-30 prospect in the 2025 class, included the Blue Devils in his final five schools on Friday.

Four-star forward Nikolas Khamenia revealed his top five schools on Friday, confirming that Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils remain very much in play for his talents.

Duke made the cutoff alongside North Carolina, Arizona, Gonzaga, and UCLA.

Khamenia, a 6-foot-8 California product, is 247Sports’ No. 27 player in the Class of 2025. He plays for Harvard Westlake, a team that finished last season with a 33-3 record, and he’s risen quickly up the rankings over the last few months.

“Khamenia, a modern power forward, can guard multiple positions,” our Bryant Crews wrote when Khamenia announced that the Blue Devils offered him. “He is athletic enough not to be a liability and can stretch the floor when necessary.”

The Blue Devils only officially offered Khamenia last month, but the five-time national champions clearly have his interest. According to a Friday report from 247Sports’ Brandon Jenkins, he’ll visit the program on September 13th as he takes time to see each of his final five schools in person.

The Blue Devils don’t yet have a commitment from the Class of 2025, but Khamenia is one of a handful of top talents Scheyer clearly has his eye on.

Duke basketball doesn’t make the top seven for AJ Dybantsa, the top-ranked 2025 prospect

AJ Dybantsa, the top-ranked 2025 prospect, revealed his top seven schools on Friday, and the Duke Blue Devils didn’t make the cut.

It might not matter to a fanbase awaiting [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] this fall, but the Duke Blue Devils are officially out of the AJ Dybantsa sweepstakes.

The top-ranked prospect in the Class of 2025 revealed his top seven schools on Friday, and the Blue Devils did not make the cut. ESPN’s Paul Biancardi reported the news, saying the Utah native will decide between North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama, Auburn, Kansas State, BYU, and Baylor.

Dybantsa plays his high-school ball for Utah Prep, and the 6-foot-9 forward also fielded offers from Connecticut, USC, Arkansas, Houston, and Rutgers, among others.

“Dybantsa possesses a lethal pull-up game with a high release and a smooth ball rotation,” 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in his scouting report. “He has avoided the pitfalls of early stardom by consistently improving his game at each level…If he continues on his current path, then there’s no one in high school basketball with more potential than him.”

The Blue Devils remain in the mix for multiple top 2025 prospects, including second-ranked Cameron Boozer and top-20 forward Nate Ament.

Duke basketball offers four-star 2026 forward Miikka Muurinen

Duke basketball extended an offer to fast-rising 2026 prospect Miikka Muurinen.

2026 feels like the distant future, but considering that it’ll be 2025 on the calendar once Duke basketball reaches the ACC portion of its schedule this season, the future will be here before we know it.

That said, Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils will likely focus considerable recruiting resources on the Class of 2026, and there are some terrific prospects for them to choose from. One of them, power forward Miikka Muurinen, received an offer from Duke over the weekend, according to 247Sports’ Travis Branham.

Muurinen, who plays for Compass Prep in Arizona, is originally from Finland. He stands 6-foot-10 and currently ranks as 247Sports’ 44th-ranked player in the Class of 2026, but many recruiting insiders expect him to receive a boost on all recruiting services. Branham named Muurinen the ‘biggest riser’ from Peach Jam, where he averaged 18 points and four rebounds per game for Bradley Beal’s Elite 16U squad.

He shot 62 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range (14-for-28 over six games) as he helped his team win an EYBL championship.

“Muurinen was oozing with talent and upside and looked every bit like a top-10 recruit in the 2026 class,” Branham wrote.

With his stock rising, expect Muurinen’s recruitment to reach astronomical heights in the coming months. Kentucky has also offered him thanks to his Peach Jam performance. His mother played college basketball for the University of North Carolina, so it shouldn’t come as a shock if UNC is a significant factor in this recruitment in the future.

Duke basketball makes the top 10 for top-100 shooting guard Braylon Mullins

Duke basketball made the top 10 for newly offered four-star Braylon Mullins, a talented Class of 2025 sharpshooter from Indiana who keeps rising in the rankings.

Despite being the most recent team to offer four-star shooting guard Braylon Mullins, Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils clearly made a strong enough impression. Mullins released his top 10 schools on Monday and included Duke as he prepares to meticulously wrap up his recruitment.

Duke has watched Mullins play on multiple occasions over the spring and summer circuit, but the offer didn’t come until this past weekend. Mullins has been electric on the Adidas circuit, eviscerating defenders on the court with some electrifying performances. The 6-foot-5, 180-pound four-star sits at No. 73 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings, but the late riser very well may finish within the top 50 or higher when the rankings get updated. He’s already catapulted up to No. 23 on the 247Sports Rankings.

Alongside Duke, the caliber of schools recruiting Mullins is as impressive as it gets. The Connecticut Huskies, winners of the last two national championships, remain in hot pursuit. UNC, Kentucky, Kansas, Indiana, and others have all put themselves into the running for Mullins.

Duke has yet to coordinate an official visit with Mullins but his father told On3’s Joe Tipton that plans were being made to schedule one. Mullins has scheduled official visits with the Tar Heels, the Wildcats, the Hoosiers, Michigan, and Tennessee.

Mullins would be a terrific shooting guard fit on Duke because of his ability to shoot the ball at an extremely efficient clip.

 

Duke basketball extends offer to top-ranked Class of 2026 prospect

Brandon McCoy, a five-star prospect and one of the top-ranked players in the Class of 2026, announced that Duke offered him on Monday.

Duke basketball, as of Monday, officially entered the sweepstakes for the best player in the Class of 2026.

Brandon McCoy Jr., a 6-foot-4 point guard from St. John Bosco in California, announced on social media that the Blue Devils extended him an offer.

“Excited to receive an offer from Duke University,” McCoy wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. ” Thank you Coach Scheyer!”

McCoy, a five-star player, currently sits atop the 247Sports Composite Rankings as the best player in the class. Duke has a strong history of landing some of the best recruits in the country, most notably [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top-ranked player in the Class of 2024 who will make his way to Durham this fall.

McCoy led his team with 18.6 points per game last season, according to MaxPreps, and he finished his sophomore season with a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists. The Braves finished with a 28-7 record.

McCoy has also received offers from UCLA, Alabama, Arizona, Rutgers, Michigan, and Tennessee, among other programs.

Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer talks about managing deep roster for 2024-25 season

“If you want something, earn it now.”: Jon Scheyer spoke about how he’s managing his stacked 2024-25 roster during the offseason on a new podcast.

Few college basketball coaches will have a harder job managing their roster in 2024-25 than Duke’s Jon Scheyer.

The Blue Devils return two starting guards from the 2023-24 squad that reached the Elite Eight. They also bring in a star-studded freshman class with four five-star prospects and two other top-40 players in the country. If that wasn’t enough, Scheyer also landed four transfers, including three of the biggest names on the market.

So how does a coach with more than 10 possible starters decide who gets to start and end games on the court? During a Monday episode of The Devil’s Den podcast, Scheyer expanded upon his process this offseason.

“I think the only way to attack it is brutal honesty,” Scheyer said. “Just to be completely transparent…I’ve done things a little bit different this year. I’ve wanted to give these guys an opportunity to show even earlier, if you want something, earn it now.”

“We’ve done more as a team and less individual (work), I’ve felt it was important to get time this summer to not just get to know one another but also to carve out whatever you want…instead of me saying you should play a certain way.”

Scheyer said he and the coaching staff will provide feedback for the players (“If you’re not being successful at it, I’ll tell you”), but he ultimately wants every member of the rotation to earn a spot in the lineup.

The third-year coach started the offseason with similar sentiments early on in the summer, saying that no player on the team entered the season with guaranteed minutes and praising how competitive his newest locker room is.

NBA scout impressed with Duke basketball freshman Kon Knueppel at Tatum Elite Camp

Duke freshman Kon Knueppel will be one of four five-star freshmen for the Blue Devils in 2024-25, but scouts keep singling him out as a star.

No Duke basketball player commanded the attention of the basketball world this weekend quite like [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], but future opponents would be mistaken to let [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] fly under the radar.

One college basketball writer already proclaimed that the five-star Wisconsin product might be the Blue Devils’ second-best debutant next year, and he routinely appears in early 2025 NBA mock drafts.

On Wednesday, Draft Express’s Jon Chepkevich wrote more positive things about Knueppel. After watching the future Blue Devil for a few days at the Tatum Elite Camp (yes, hosted by former Duke star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag]), he made a short social media summary of his thoughts.

“Incoming Duke freshman, Kon Knueppel, had a very productive all-around showing at the Tatum Elite Camp,” Chepkevich wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Rained down threes, finished through contact, made smart cuts, kept the ball moving, and was rock solid defensively.

Knueppel also gained some social media attention for a video of him draining close to 30 3-pointers in a row at a practice session last week, a scary sight for a player listed at 6-foot-7.

Check out our predicted statistics for Knueppel and the other five Duke freshmen for 2024-25 here.