camion
Member
"Glue players," they're the ones that stick around.
2025 Men's Basketball Recruiting
- Thread starter DavidBenAkiva
- Start date
MChambers
Member
All four Duke commits signed their letters, not that it means as much as it used to: https://goduke.com/news/2024/11/21/mens-basketball-scheyer-signs-third-no-1-class-in-four-years
OZZIE4DUKE
Well-known member
brevity
Member
I was expecting a lull in recruit announcements after the Early Signing Period ended November 20, but I have three 4 updates.
Without much (any?) fanfare, RSCI #23 Nikola Bundalo committed to Washington yesterday. (The Huskies were not among Bundalo's shortlists of 4 or 9 teams, and only recently expressed an interest.) The 6-9 power forward will join point guard JJ Mandaquit (#55) at U-Dub next season. Between these additions and the well-publicized $2 million acquisition of Great Osobor from the transfer portal, it's apparent that a significant NIL power is emerging from the Pacific Northwest.
Since I posted the Cougars' wish list, Kelvin Sampson has signed #21 Kingston Flemings, and received a commitment on Tuesday from #13 Chris Cenac, a 6-10 post player. And when Koa Peat narrowed his list of destinations from 10 to 5, blue bloods like Duke, Kentucky, and UNC were dropped, but Houston remained. The convergence of the Big 12 upgrade and NIL lawlessness has been golden for Coach Sampson; save the recruiting dead periods, he can text and call prospects as often as he wants. (Get the unlimited plan!)
Not much to say about #28 Jerry Easter choosing USC -- the 6-4 combo guard never even made a list of finalists.
And while I was writing this, #37 Shon Abaev, a 6-7 small forward, just announced he would be attending Cincinnati. He and #66 Keyshaun Tillery, a 6-0 point guard, are Wes Miller's two top 100 additions from the 2025 class. Coach Miller's a UNC guy, always a backup option when Heel fans are upset with Hubert Davis -- like they are this week -- so I try to keep an eye on the Bearcats.
Without much (any?) fanfare, RSCI #23 Nikola Bundalo committed to Washington yesterday. (The Huskies were not among Bundalo's shortlists of 4 or 9 teams, and only recently expressed an interest.) The 6-9 power forward will join point guard JJ Mandaquit (#55) at U-Dub next season. Between these additions and the well-publicized $2 million acquisition of Great Osobor from the transfer portal, it's apparent that a significant NIL power is emerging from the Pacific Northwest.
Since I posted the Cougars' wish list, Kelvin Sampson has signed #21 Kingston Flemings, and received a commitment on Tuesday from #13 Chris Cenac, a 6-10 post player. And when Koa Peat narrowed his list of destinations from 10 to 5, blue bloods like Duke, Kentucky, and UNC were dropped, but Houston remained. The convergence of the Big 12 upgrade and NIL lawlessness has been golden for Coach Sampson; save the recruiting dead periods, he can text and call prospects as often as he wants. (Get the unlimited plan!)
Not much to say about #28 Jerry Easter choosing USC -- the 6-4 combo guard never even made a list of finalists.
And while I was writing this, #37 Shon Abaev, a 6-7 small forward, just announced he would be attending Cincinnati. He and #66 Keyshaun Tillery, a 6-0 point guard, are Wes Miller's two top 100 additions from the 2025 class. Coach Miller's a UNC guy, always a backup option when Heel fans are upset with Hubert Davis -- like they are this week -- so I try to keep an eye on the Bearcats.
MChambers
Member
As I recall, Coach K didn't pick Gilbert for an Olympic team (for good reason, in my opinion), and that made Gilbert sad. Gilbert also lost to Duke in 2001.
Not clear if Gilbert is opposed to Duke now, or to Jon Scheyer, or if Duke is even interested.
JasonEvans
Host, The Duke Basketball Roundup
There are numerous reports that Alijah Arenas will reclassify to the 2025 class with the intent of entering the 2026 draft. He was widely considered one of the top 5 players in the 2026 class and would likely be a top 10-15 player in 2025.
I've heard some rumblings of Duke being interested in him but nothing concrete and no offer has been made yet.
Arenas sister, Izela, plays hoops for Louisville and is in the rotation as a freshman. You can be sure Pat Kelsey is hoping to leverage that situation with the family to reel in Alijah.
I've heard some rumblings of Duke being interested in him but nothing concrete and no offer has been made yet.
Arenas sister, Izela, plays hoops for Louisville and is in the rotation as a freshman. You can be sure Pat Kelsey is hoping to leverage that situation with the family to reel in Alijah.
The reclass is official. He's in the '25 class. I hope to be seeing him play soon.
Given how public Gilbert Arenas has been with his disdain for Duke, it seems sort of unlikely that Alijah would be a viable Duke target.
CrazyNotCrazie
Member
I'm assuming we will still leave the door open for him and have a full cup waiting (Passover joke)
wilko
Member
Its the job of every parent to make an occasional sacrifice for their kids....
He can put his distain on pause for a year or two for the sake of his kid.
brevity
Member
It's announced, but it's not official.
Arenas, top-5 recruit in '26, reclassifying to '25
Alijah Arenas, a top-5 recruit in the 2026 class and son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, is in the process of reclassifying into the 2025 class, his father announced Monday night.
A 6-foot-6 guard from Chatsworth High School (California), Arenas is ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2026 class. If he does indeed complete his reclassification, he will become one of the five best available recruits in the country...
Arenas' recruitment is not too advanced, although he recently visited Arizona for the Wildcats' game against Duke and has also been to UCLA's campus. Alijah Arenas' sister Izela plays at Louisville, and the Cardinals have been involved in Alijah's recruitment.
Other schools linked to Arenas include Kentucky, which reportedly offered him last month, Kansas, Alabama, Texas and USC.
We are not our parents, despite what an entire ad campaign from Progressive Insurance is telling us:
That said, I think Gilbert Arenas would be delighted to see his son string along Duke fans as a finalist option for as long as possible.
It's announced, but it's not official.
Arenas, top-5 recruit in '26, reclassifying to '25
Alijah Arenas, a top-5 recruit in the 2026 class and son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, is in the process of reclassifying into the 2025 class, his father announced Monday night.www.espn.com
A 6-foot-6 guard from Chatsworth High School (California), Arenas is ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2026 class. If he does indeed complete his reclassification, he will become one of the five best available recruits in the country...
Arenas' recruitment is not too advanced, although he recently visited Arizona for the Wildcats' game against Duke and has also been to UCLA's campus. Alijah Arenas' sister Izela plays at Louisville, and the Cardinals have been involved in Alijah's recruitment.
Other schools linked to Arenas include Kentucky, which reportedly offered him last month, Kansas, Alabama, Texas and USC.
It would be surreal to have a Boozer lead Duke team beat an Arenas led Arizona team in the national championship game 25 years after their parents faced off in an identical situation
It makes you wonder what Dell Curry, Adrian Griffin, Doc Rivers, and David Robinson were saying about Duke in the '90s/'00s. My guess is it wasn't all love.
I cheerfully disagree!
I have no idea what kind of player or prospect Alijah may be. But I would be perfectly happy to NOT have his father around the program. It's less about his disdain for Duke than his personality and sports media schtick generally. Frequently terrible hot takes and purposeful provocation for its own sake, but enough name recognition to get heard.
It seems we need guards that can penetrate and break the defense down off the dribble!