gam7
Member
Sometimes, but certainly not always. As an example, Zion played on the Adidas circuit but came to Duke. And, there certainly are players on the Nike circuit who go to Adidas schools like Kansas.
2025 Men's Basketball Recruiting
- Thread starter DavidBenAkiva
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Sometimes, but certainly not always. As an example, Zion played on the Adidas circuit but came to Duke. And, there certainly are players on the Nike circuit who go to Adidas schools like Kansas.
brevity
Member
brevity
Member
Five 2025 recruits with Duke offers made the Team USA Men's U17 team.
USA Basketball: 2024 USA Basketball Men's U17 National Team Announced
USA Basketball: 2024 USA Basketball Men's U17 National Team Announced
SkyBrickey
Member
I'm not panicking or anything, but it's not a welcome sign for Duke that the recruiting cycle for the top HS recruits is being pushed out later on the calendar due to NIL and the transfer portal.
We've got offers out to multiple top 10 guys including I believe 3 PFs (Boozer, Ament, Wilson). Any of these guys would seem to have a clear path to starting next year unless you think they'd play behind a senior Maliq Brown.
So are we moving to a place where these top OAD recruits are also angling for a huge NIL payday? I hope that's not what's happening. But it wouldn't be a total shocker given the reported size of some of the deals this offseason (Ballo, Osobor, Hawkins, etc).
We've got offers out to multiple top 10 guys including I believe 3 PFs (Boozer, Ament, Wilson). Any of these guys would seem to have a clear path to starting next year unless you think they'd play behind a senior Maliq Brown.
So are we moving to a place where these top OAD recruits are also angling for a huge NIL payday? I hope that's not what's happening. But it wouldn't be a total shocker given the reported size of some of the deals this offseason (Ballo, Osobor, Hawkins, etc).
Well, as Tony Kornheiser often repeats on his podcast (attributed to long-time TV executive Don Ohlmeyer) "The answer to all of your questions is money."
So, I'd say it's a fair certainty that top recruits (not just expected OADs but all of the Top 50) are not just "angling for," but now expect as a given for them to even consider coming to school x, a large ["we'll agree to call it this even though it's plainly really 'pay-for-play'"] NIL package.
Between the combination of the portal on top of NBA entries creating more roster uncertainty, and the difficulty in teams allocating their NIL budgets a year + in advance because of their own roster uncertainty (or even knowing what their NIL budgets will be in 2025-2026), it would definitely make sense for the top-level OADs to wait until after next spring to commit unless they just 100% fall in love with a particular school/coach.
Duke also has an offer to Koa Peat, who 247 lists as a 4 (they also list Ament as a 3, so depending on how you count it may still be just 3 PF offers).
Assuming the expected departures of Maluach and Flagg, the only returning bigs would be Big Pat and Maliq. You could conceivably roll out a two big lineup that lacks a traditional center with Maliq and one of the 2025 guys, with Ngongba coming off the bench.
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
Donald teased this on the Podcast a few days ago....
Acaden Lewis has gotten an offer from Duke. 6-2 combo guard who plays at Sidwell Friends (shout out to Obama's kids) in DC. Top 40 recruit who has recently gotten offers from Kentucky and UConn... so I suspect his ranking may be on the rise.
Donald will have more on this in an upcoming episode of the pod. He might have some inside info here
Acaden Lewis has gotten an offer from Duke. 6-2 combo guard who plays at Sidwell Friends (shout out to Obama's kids) in DC. Top 40 recruit who has recently gotten offers from Kentucky and UConn... so I suspect his ranking may be on the rise.
Donald will have more on this in an upcoming episode of the pod. He might have some inside info here
SkyBrickey
Member
Like this Lewis offer. Assuming Flagg, Maluach and one of Proctor/Foster leave in the offseason along with James and Gillis, then it would seem like our two big obvious needs in an 8 man rotation are for a CG and a PF/C. Burries is another outstanding offer that fits this CG profile.
simplyluvin
Member
I like the Lewis offer, and this is the kind of kid we might have hoped would be a multi-year guy. But is there any hope of that anymore? We need the Boozer brothers, and I'd love Meleek Thomas. Not to litigate the 2025-26 roster here, but I would not be surprised with something close to a Louisville-like roster rebuild next year.
DavidBenAkiva
Member
What do you mean by "Louisville-like roster rebuild"?
I assume the meaning is that nearly the entire roster from this year's team may turn over for next year (much in the way Louisville's roster all left after this year, though hopefully for better reasons in our case).
scottdude8
Moderator, front page and podcast contributor
While I don't think we can rule this out entirely (especially after this past offseason), I'd personally be shocked if this happened based on everything Scheyer has said publicly. In a worst case scenario (which is probably actually the best case for this year's success) in which Tyrese and Caleb join Cooper and Khaman on their way to the NBA, that would mean there'd be a TON of juicy roles available for the remainder of this year's freshmen class (along with Maliq, who I think is probably penciled in as the starting 4 or 5 on the 2025-26 roster). Now, these guys have to prove this year that they can fill those roles and/or are willing to compete for them (as is now the norm in the new era of college basketball), but as of now I think it would be very surprising if no one from the group of K2/Evans/Harris/Ngongba does that.
It would be a big stretch of K2's potential PG skills, but one could argue that those four sophs plus a senior Brown would be a viable starting lineup in 2025-26. Recent trends tell us that all 5 of those guys may not be on the roster come next season, but the mere viability of that lineup tells me that the likelihood that none of those 5 guys are on the 2025-26 roster is low.
DavidBenAkiva
Member
DavidBenAkiva
Member
If we can draw any conclusions about players leaving Duke during the Scheyer era - I think it is way too early to draw conclusions - it is that the guys likely to depart have no or a limited path to a starting role the next season. Jeremy Roach is the only exception to this, I suppose, but even he had no path to a starting PG role. That seems to be his reason for leaving, that he wasn't going to get the PG role.
For the 2025-26 season, at least a couple of players have a reasonable path to a starting role. Foster starts at either G spot if he is a JR at Duke. One or maybe even both of Knueppel and Evans can make a claim for a starting spot on the wings. Brown and Ngongba seem to have a clear path to starting in the frontcourt.
Things will change, of course. Foster may have a huge SO season. A guy that can hit 40%+ from 3 at 6'5" is going to draw attention. Evans and/or Knueppel may not be physically ready for the college game. Brown may show that he can hit the 3 + operate out of the short roll as well as switch 1-5 on defense and get a shot at the NBA Draft. I think Ngongba has the best path to a starting spot in 2025-26 given the lack of recruiting true C's in the Class of 2025. Duke could have a really good year in 2024-25 and still return as many as 4 or 5 players from the current roster.
SkyBrickey
Member
Let's be honest. By far the biggest influence on how many of Brown, Ngongba, Evans, K2, Harris, Foster decide to stick around will be what Jon does with OAD recruits and with the transfer portal.
All those guys love Duke or they wouldn't be here. All could be quality starters in 2025-26. If Jon focuses on top 15-30 recruits and role-player transfers, then all six of these guys are likely in the top 8 rotation and most are likely to return.
JE's parent interview was confirmation that the transfers this offseason weren't about NIL $, they were about role and playing time. It will mostly be Jon's moves that determine how many of these guys come back.
All those guys love Duke or they wouldn't be here. All could be quality starters in 2025-26. If Jon focuses on top 15-30 recruits and role-player transfers, then all six of these guys are likely in the top 8 rotation and most are likely to return.
JE's parent interview was confirmation that the transfers this offseason weren't about NIL $, they were about role and playing time. It will mostly be Jon's moves that determine how many of these guys come back.
DavidBenAkiva
Member
Here's some highlights
The 5 Point Play pod was talking about our 2025 recruits and host AC (@5PointPlayPodc1) was hoping that Henderson would come to Duke
Truthfully, they were naming so many different guys that they want from the class that even they were commenting it would be unrealistic. But, it's a nice rundown of who is out there with Duke offers, who they think we've cooled on, etc. That is the last thing they talk about ad it is preceeded by a lot of NBA Finals and Draft talk, then some talk about the Duke 1st scrimmage video, then they get to recruiting.
SkyBrickey
Member
Best takeaways from these guys on the 2025 recruits...
- very high on Shelton Henderson, 6-6 SF, #19 on 247. Very athletic, high motor. Jon was with him at the U18s and they think it's moving quickly.
- high on Acaden Lewis, 6-2 CG, #34 on 247. Recent offer.
- still pretty positive on the Boozers. PG and PF. They also like Nate Ament at PF and think he wants to come to Duke. They don't think Koa Peat or Caleb Wilson are coming.
Interestingly, when they discussed we weren't going after a Center, they talked about Ngongba and the portal but seemed to forget that Maliq Brown has another year of eligibility.
- very high on Shelton Henderson, 6-6 SF, #19 on 247. Very athletic, high motor. Jon was with him at the U18s and they think it's moving quickly.
- high on Acaden Lewis, 6-2 CG, #34 on 247. Recent offer.
- still pretty positive on the Boozers. PG and PF. They also like Nate Ament at PF and think he wants to come to Duke. They don't think Koa Peat or Caleb Wilson are coming.
Interestingly, when they discussed we weren't going after a Center, they talked about Ngongba and the portal but seemed to forget that Maliq Brown has another year of eligibility.
simplyluvin
Member
Yes, that's right. I know it's the worst case scenario, and not at all saying it's a likely scenario at all, but even this year 85% of our roster was new. In a very plausible scenario in which Foster and Proctor are gone, along with Cooper, Maluach, and those who have exhausted eligibility, then Evans, Ngongba, K2, Harris, and Brown are back (big "if" given the volatility of the portal, and that's my main point), then it isn't a destitute starting position, but we will need a good influx of talent. Boozer twins would be a good anchoring point much like Coop this year.
I don't know that much about recruiting, so I'll ask you this question. Is Nate Ament the Duke recruit listed 6'7" and 175 lbs? If so he's even skinner than Evans.
GoDuke!