The Duke Blue Devils started their 2025 recruiting class on a high note last week by signing five-star players Cameron Boozer and Kayden Boozer, the sons of former NBA great Carlos Boozer. Ta.
The twins are Duke's first two commitments in the 2025 class, and head coach John Scheyer and his staff look to put together an even stronger freshman class after taking the No. 1 class in the 2024 cycle. As we aim to achieve this, things could start to turn around soon.
After signing six freshmen in 2024, Duke is not expected to bring in as many players in the next class, but they are still very aggressive with a number of top reinforcements, including Cameron Boozer is ranked as the No. 2 player overall in the class.
With the addition of the Boozer twins, how will the rest of Duke's 2025 recruiting class shape up?
Current roster
As mentioned above, the Blue Devils have added six freshmen to their roster for next season, led by rookie Cooper Flagg, who was taken first overall.
Flagg is at the top of his class with four five-star recruits (Flag, Carman Marauk, Con Knuppel, Isaiah Evans) and two four-star recruits (Patrick Gomba, Darren Harris). He will be a large part of Duke's rotation.
When predicting Duke's future, you must first analyze the current mainstays of Duke's roster and where the turnovers will start next year.
It currently appears that Duke will lose three of the six freshmen who are likely to turn pro next year: Flagg, Knuppel, and Marauf.
Additionally, looking at the rest of the roster, the Blue Devils will not be retaining seniors Mason Gillis and Zion James, who are expected to be important pieces of the rotation this year.
Flagg, Knuppel and Marauf are all expected to be starters at Duke, so this will be a significant reduction in personnel for the Blue Devils. And that doesn't even touch on the potential transfers that the Blue Devils saw first-hand this offseason, when they only had two returning players from their 2023 rotation.
Looking ahead, Duke may be able to put some pieces together for 2025. At least one of the starting guards will likely return, along with Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor, with the pros looming ahead, while Evans, Harris and Gomba are expected to return. . Multi-year college athlete.
Add in Malik Brown, a junior the Blue Devils acquired in the transfer portal as their top reserve forward, and there are some key pieces for Duke. Still, there are many holes to fill. That's why the class of 2025 could once again be huge for the blue-blooded program.
Class of 2025
Duke's class was recently strengthened with the addition of the Boozer twins, giving the team a big recruiting boost in the cycle.
Cameron Boozer will replace Flagg as the team's obvious power forward next season and will be given a lot of work as soon as he comes to campus.
Caden Boozer projects more as a multi-year college player, initially playing on the wing in an off-the-bench role depending on how Duke's guard rotation is filled out with Foster and Proctor. You may have to wait.
On Tuesday, the Blue Devils made another commitment, acquiring four-star forward Nick Jamenia, but the finalists were narrowed down to Duke, UCLA and Gonzaga.
Hamenia will likely play a small forward role at Duke, and at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, he adds good size and playmaking ability from the wing spot, and is a capable shooter on threes as well. There is also.
It's unclear what Duke's roster will look like next year, but Hamenia's facilitation abilities seem to fit well with the scoring threats provided by current freshmen Isaiah Evans and Darren Harris. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of Cameron Boozer, the Blue Devils have added two quality forwards to the roster, and will likely have good center depth next year with Ngomba and Brown on the roster, which will help balance the Blue Devils. It's taken.
Hamenia is on the lighter side at 210 pounds and is expected to play defense at a high level, so his size is noteworthy and will determine how much playing time he gets as a freshman. There is a possibility. But if he plays more of a three-man role and protects the wing, the four-star should have a good role as Duke plans for its future.
Elsewhere, the Blue Devils are eyeing a potential player in the 2025 class, focusing on five-star forward Nate Ament, a top-five player for the cycle.
At 6'9'' and 185 pounds, Ament is a player highly regarded by scouts and projects as a one-and-done player at the next level. Ament, who has been attracting attention on this year's roster, is a talented scorer and will likely step into the starting small forward role next to Boozer if the Blue Devils are able to acquire him.
That will be a difficult task, as many major league teams are chasing after top-five recruits and are taking their time with late contract periods to find the right talent.
In addition, the Blue Devils have selected five-star forward Shelton Henderson as their final three selection and will make a decision in early November.
A top-15 recruit in his class, Henderson, 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, recently visited Duke, with Louisville and Texas rounding out the top three.
He adds to the forward depth that is expected to take a hit next year, but his role will depend on who else the Blue Devils are able to add in their upcoming recruiting class. Nevertheless, he is a player Duke is prioritizing and could be a key part of the program's future.
Finally, the Blue Devils also have four-star guard Akaden Lewis as a candidate, who has been scouted by some of the top schools in the country. UW and Kentucky are among his finalists, and a decision could come soon from the talented guard.
However, with the addition of Caden Boozer here, the Blue Devils' backcourt next year is uncertain, and Lewis could end up running out of minutes, so it's possible that Duke will have some of their forward targets. It seems likely that he will eventually get it.
Overall, Duke University has a talented pool of talent to recruit for the 2025 class. The Blue Devils are already off to a good start with three commits last week, including the No. 2 player in the cycle.
