2025 four-star forward Nik Khamenia was considered a lock to commit to Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins on Tuesday.
Instead, the 6’8 California native shocked the college basketball recruiting world by announcing his commitment to Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils, another huge win for the ACC powerhouse on the recruiting trail.
Khamenia is the No. 19 ranked prospect in the 2025 class according to 247Sports. He was choosing between a top three of Duke, UCLA, and Gonzaga, and also had offers from North Carolina, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio State, Creighton, Oregon, and many others.
Khamenia rose up the rankings in the 2025 class with a strong performance on the summer circuit, which included representing the United States in the FIBA U18 3×3 World Cup.
Khamenia now joins the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, in Scheyer’s 2025 recruiting class, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the country.
Since taking over for coach Mike Krzyzewski in 2021, Scheyer has landed 10 five-star recruits and countless other four-stars, continuing the elite level of recruiting in Durham established by his predecessor.
The high level recruiting has yet to result in a Final Four appearance, but the talent coming through the program certainly hasn’t dipped in the post-Coach K era.