2025 Men's Basketball Recruiting

The hope Evans comes back the thing for him is 2025 draft is loaded 2026 isn't so much. He could get some NIL money and then be a top 10 pick next year. I honestly hope our lineup looks like this next year.
Proctor/Boozer
Harris/ Foster
Evans/Ament
Boozer/Ament
Maliq/Ngbongo
That's 9! which is a fine number for this year's team, even though we seldom give 9 guys meaningful minutes. What, no Nik Khamenia love?
I'd love for Tyrese to get so hot from here on out that he forces a team to draft him, but from what i've seen so far, it looks like he's a strong contender to return to Duke next year.
I disagree with your assessment about the current draft and the expected quality of the 2026 draft.

The very top of the 2025 draft looks good. Flagg is the clear #1 and following a year where there wasn't such a clear choice. After that, Harper is a good prospect and Bailey has obvious skills. As you get past the top 3-5 players, though, things get a lot thinner as far as the talent pool is concerned.

Looking at 2026, there are three absolute studs in AJ Dybantsa (who might be an even better long-term prospect than Flagg), Darren Peterson, and Cameron Boozer. Each of those three would go ahead of Harper if not Flagg.
I guess being a generational talent ain't what it used to be...
Duke will lose at least five players (Mason, Sion, Cooper, Kon, and Khaman) from this year's roster. Adding the incoming freshman, the frontcourt could have Cameron, Nikolas, Pat, and Maliq. I don't think the last two are as sure a thing as many seem to be assuming. Yes, they would both have a significant role on next year's roster, but it may not be their desired role. Cameron will start at one frontcourt spot, and I could easily see Pat and Maliq wanting to be the other starter. Much like The Highlander, there can be only one. I can easily see Jon looking to add an additional frontcourt player via the portal.

The backcourt/wings could have Tyrese, Caleb, Isaiah, Darren, Cayden, Shelton, and potentially Nate. That is seven players for four, maybe five spots. It doesn't seem outlandish that there is some attrition, and unless there is significant attrition, I have a hard time seeing the need for a portal wing/guard.

I do think Jon loves what Sion, Mason, and Maliq have brought to this year's roster and would love to replicate it for next year's roster. I'm just not sure how he gets there without players accepting a much smaller role or spots opening up.
Wouldn't that be pretty well obviated by the return of Proctor, Foster, Harris, Evans, Maliq, and Big Pat? I mean, why go to the portal for experience when you've got 11 years of returning playon the roster?
 
That's 9! which is a fine number for this year's team, even though we seldom give 9 guys meaningful minutes. What, no Nik Khamenia love?
I'd love for Tyrese to get so hot from here on out that he forces a team to draft him, but from what i've seen so far, it looks like he's a strong contender to return to Duke next year.

I guess being a generational talent ain't what it used to be...

Wouldn't that be pretty well obviated by the return of Proctor, Foster, Harris, Evans, Maliq, and Big Pat? I mean, why go to the portal for experience when you've got 11 years of returning playon the roster?
To answer your last question, because Duke may not think those players can win them a national championship.
 
Guys like Ngongba, Harris, Evans, Foster were much more highly rated coming out of HS than James, Brown, Gillis for a reason. These guys mostly need opportunity and experience.

Can Jon give them, and Khamenia/Henderson the chance to play and develop at Duke while still fielding a Final Four team every year? Or will Jon make it standard practice to go to the portal for "veteran upgrades" like he did this year?

If the NCAA caps eligibility at 4 years - not 5 years - it should make it easier to justify investing in the development of these sophomores and juniors who are not OAD level talent.
 
Guys like Ngongba, Harris, Evans, Foster were much more highly rated coming out of HS than James, Brown, Gillis for a reason. These guys mostly need opportunity and experience.

Can Jon give them, and Khamenia/Henderson the chance to play and develop at Duke while still fielding a Final Four team every year? Or will Jon make it standard practice to go to the portal for "veteran upgrades" like he did this year?

If the NCAA caps eligibility at 4 years - not 5 years - it should make it easier to justify investing in the development of these sophomores and juniors who are not OAD level talent.
I have been following this thread and I wonder why readers believe Harris will return. He can't be satisfied with the court time he's received and is there any real reason to expect he would receive more? I'm not sure Foster will be back either.
 
Respectfully, I think a lot of it is up to the player. Does he want to stay and work through what might be a 3 year plan, or does he want to go somewhere that he can play his sophomore year? We saw last year that 3 guys didn't want to wait. I have no quarrel with that but it's not all on the Coach.
 
It's not all on the Coach, but I believe it will be Jon who decides whether Darren is ready as a sophomore to play in a 9-man rotation or whether he wants to go to the portal for a more experienced guard to play ahead of him. And yes, if it's that second scenario, then Darren would get to decide whether he's willing to invest another year at Duke for more playing time as a junior.
 
I have been following this thread and I wonder why readers believe Harris will return. He can't be satisfied with the court time he's received and is there any real reason to expect he would receive more? I'm not sure Foster will be back either.
We're two summer removed from everyone returning, including Schutt and Reeves. That included a bigger incoming recruiting class than the one currently committed to arrive this summer. There's a chance Harris stays, just the same as he leaves.

Harris was the first recruit of this freshman class to commit. Scheyer was on him early and stayed with him throughout the recruitment process. I also think there's a chance that Harris sees the role that Evans is playing this year and can see himself in that role next season. Maybe he doesn't. We'll see!
 
I have not heard that reported or rumored by anyone. As a guy with a very underdeveloped frame, the presumption has always been that it would take Evans a little time to really be ready for the draft. His elite shooting does make him attractive to NBA teams, but they will need to see more to pull the trigger on using a draft pick and giving him a guaranteed deal.

Unless something really dramatic changes in the next several weeks, Isaiah Evans will be in college next season... the only question is where he will be playing.
FWIW, just to provide some context to what Jason is saying here: Jeremy Roach and Mark Mitchell, two guys who (obviously) started and played key roles for Duke last year, are playing elsewhere in college basketball this season. Without rehashing the reasons as to why, those data points are important because they illustrate that just because a guy isn't ready for the NBA but is still playing a significant role at Duke doesn't necessarily mean he'll be back at Duke in this new era.

One would think it makes too much sense for Evans to return to Duke next year. He's not going to find a bigger stage. He's not going to find a program with a better track record of placing players in the pros. By all evidence available to non-insiders, he is loving his time at Duke. But whereas we wouldn't bat an eye at a situation like this as recently as a few years ago, nowadays you just never know who might be promising something insane to a kid as talented as Isaiah.

We should also recall that this is a two-way street. Jon has shown that he isn't going to potentially hamstring himself by offering guarantees, particularly those that he can't necessarily keep. Guys have to earn their role at Duke... as others have stated, it's highly likely that Jon is going to add talent at the wing via the portal or additional recruiting regardless of his understanding of Evans' intentions. I get the sense Evans isn't the type of guy to shy away from that competition, but if another big name program offers him the proverbial bag and is willing to promise him a role as the focal point of the offense, you never know what will happen.

At the risk of speaking for Jason, I don't think anyone should interpret what he's saying as there being specific reason to worry about Evans, or indeed any specific player. There's just no way to be 100% certain about anyone anymore. That said, Jon's recruiting strategy has provided some insights into who he thinks will/won't be back, and who he thinks will/won't be ready to contribute, the last few years. The wings currently in our 2025 class, while having tremendous upside, aren't currently in the range where we'd expect them to be Day 1 starters. That's a positive sign that the staff thinks Isaiah will be here next year as a focal point of the team, but it's only one sign out of many we'll have to sort through.
 
As far as Harris goes, and I posted some of this the other day, I think he has gotten the freshman year experience he was likely told he would get -- meaning, "you probably won't play much, but work hard, improve, and be ready as a soph." We have not signed anyone in the '25 class like Darren, meaning pretty much a knockdown shooter in the backcourt. That's a good sign for him. But there are (possibly) going to be other guys who can shoot the ball very well, like Evans and perhaps an incoming transfer. I think Darren knows that if Isaiah is on the roster, the two of them are going to share minutes at the 2, with Isaiah also playing some 3 probably, but Darren is going to have to earn those minutes, especially if there is also an incoming transfer at his position. If he thinks he can earn those minutes either alongside or splitting time with Evans and others, then I'd expect him to stay. He'd be on track just as he was expecting to be coming out of HS. If he thinks he can't carve minutes from Evans, or Ament, or whoever else, and he's gonna get 5 minutes a game or something, then I'd expect him to leave as he'd then be in Jaden Schutt territory.
 
Wouldn't that be pretty well obviated by the return of Proctor, Foster, Harris, Evans, Maliq, and Big Pat? I mean, why go to the portal for experience when you've got 11 years of returning playon the roster?
Not really. Duke would go from having a sophomore, two juniors, and two fifth-year players in their top 8 to two seniors, a junior, and three sophomores (two of whom have minimal experience). That doesn't even account for the possibility that some of those returning six may be mutually exclusive. I would be shocked if Duke could retain all four of Proctor, Foster, Harris, and Evans. Pleasantly so, but still shocked. Maliq and Pat may not want to be a backup next season.

It's a step down experience-wise, even if all six stick around. If one or more goes elsewhere, that step down can be pretty sizable.
 
Not really. Duke would go from having a sophomore, two juniors, and two fifth-year players in their top 8 to two seniors, a junior, and three sophomores (two of whom have minimal experience). That doesn't even account for the possibility that some of those returning six may be mutually exclusive. I would be shocked if Duke could retain all four of Proctor, Foster, Harris, and Evans. Pleasantly so, but still shocked. Maliq and Pat may not want to be a backup next season.

It's a step down experience-wise, even if all six stick around. If one or more goes elsewhere, that step down can be pretty sizable.
Maliq, Sion, and Mason brought 10 years of experience with them + 6 Fr. with 0 years. Those listed, who may be somewhat exclusive of each other, could bring 11 years of experience, +4 (maybe a 5th but who would probably eject one of the returning players) Fr. with 0 years. I'm not saying it's a perfect comparison, but i think there's more than enough there for it to be made.
As kshep said further up the thread, could that group win a championship, does the Duke staff think it could? I guess part of that comes down to how well this year's team plays from here on out. And if this year's team plays (and wins!!!) the last game of the year, that experience would surpass what this year's Tres Tios brought with them.
 
Last edited:
Well, I guess we can all agree on one thing….the possibilities and permutations are numerous. But without a crystal ball into the heads of the various players, it strikes me as futile. I will assume 5 star recruits either think (or at least dream) one and done at season’s start. But, do freshmen with a high school 5 star rank still look good to an NBA draft scout if they didn’t make first string on an elite team? Does going to a tier-down school for the next season for a starting role fully erase that? Did our portal-outs actually raise their profile this year although starting? I certainly don’t encounter their names in the sports news without drilling down to game recaps. You give up a lot of stage when you leave Duke.

Even if you were not 5 star (no NBA likelihood) what appeals to someone more….the ability to say I played college ball or I was on a FF team? Clearly, the players who left last year chose the former, but I know from experience no one asks how many game minutes I played at Loyola in the 70s in the office lunchroom 10 years (and certainly not 50 years) later. However, had I otherwise been able to say I was on a UCLA team in the 70s, that would have not left me in cafeteria oblivion.

Depends on what (God only knows) circulates in the brain of a 19 year-old.
 
It's been reported the plan all along was for him to be one and done unless something change.
He is in the 50's right now and I don't se his current role moving up draft boards. He would have the same fate as Duval, Keels and Steward. With that said the staffs continued pursuit of Ament when we are pretty stacked on the wing leads me to believe Evans might be leaning that way.
 
In March/April 2023, Duke did not bring in any late recruits or high-end transfers, and pretty much everyone who wasn't OAD stayed.

In March/April 2024, Duke sought and received commitments from Maluach, James, Gillis, and Brown. There is evidence that several if not all of Roach, Mitchell, Stewart, Power, and Schutt wanted to stay at Duke but did the math once Duke brought in four additional newcomers and decided to leave. If we hadn't brought in those four guys (M, J, G, B), would three or four of the second group (R, M, S, P, S) have stayed? Obviously we can't know for sure, but my guess is yes.

I think this year is similar. If Coach brings in Ament plus two or three high impact transfers, then we can probably expect at least that many of our could-stay-could-go guys to leave. If he eschews transfers then even if we get Ament, we can probably expect most of the maybe guys to stay. It's possible there was some chicken-or-egg element to 2023 and/or 2024, but honestly I think it's as simple as you bring guys in, other guys leave.
 
In March/April 2023, Duke did not bring in any late recruits or high-end transfers, and pretty much everyone who wasn't OAD stayed.

In March/April 2024, Duke sought and received commitments from Maluach, James, Gillis, and Brown. There is evidence that several if not all of Roach, Mitchell, Stewart, Power, and Schutt wanted to stay at Duke but did the math once Duke brought in four additional newcomers and decided to leave. If we hadn't brought in those four guys (M, J, G, B), would three or four of the second group (R, M, S, P, S) have stayed? Obviously we can't know for sure, but my guess is yes.

I think this year is similar. If Coach brings in Ament plus two or three high impact transfers, then we can probably expect at least that many of our could-stay-could-go guys to leave. If he eschews transfers then even if we get Ament, we can probably expect most of the maybe guys to stay. It's possible there was some chicken-or-egg element to 2023 and/or 2024, but honestly I think it's as simple as you bring guys in, other guys leave.
This is exactly my read too. And just one more little nugget...

When Bilas interviewed Jon before the season started, he asked Jon about roster construction. I wish I had clipboarded the response, but Jon said essentially that he wanted smaller recruiting classes and fewer transfers. I remember him using the words "3-4 recruits" and "maybe a transfer".

These obviously weren't ironclad numbers. He's at 4-5 for this recruiting class. But at least his mindset coming into the season was that he didn't plan to turnover most of the roster like he did last offseason. We will see if it holds.
 
I hope we have a scenario where Evans and Harris are both on the roster next year both might be 2 of the top shooters in college next year.
I feel like seeing Harris on the bench, he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself. Almost all the players are havign fun etc. But maybe that is just his demeanor.
 
When Bilas interviewed Jon before the season started, he asked Jon about roster construction. I wish I had clipboarded the response, but Jon said essentially that he wanted smaller recruiting classes and fewer transfers. I remember him using the words "3-4 recruits" and "maybe a transfer".

These obviously weren't ironclad numbers. He's at 4-5 for this recruiting class. But at least his mindset coming into the season was that he didn't plan to turnover most of the roster like he did last offseason. We will see if it holds.

Why keep a clipboard when you have a visual aid?

Brotherhood Podcast, Episode 24. Go to about the 14-minute mark.


Coach Scheyer: "For our team, it has to be a balance of -- going forward, probably not going to be a class of 6 freshmen, more so 4 or 3, or maybe the max would be 5. Ideally, you have 3 to 5 players returning, although some years may be 2, some years it could be 6. And then 1 or 2 transfers..."
 
Why keep a clipboard when you have a visual aid?

Brotherhood Podcast, Episode 24. Go to about the 14-minute mark.


Coach Scheyer: "For our team, it has to be a balance of -- going forward, probably not going to be a class of 6 freshmen, more so 4 or 3, or maybe the max would be 5. Ideally, you have 3 to 5 players returning, although some years may be 2, some years it could be 6. And then 1 or 2 transfers..."
Good work brevity! I was secretly hoping someone might jump in. My memory wasn't too bad.

So a big swing factor here is whether those 1-2 transfers are more like Sion James or Cameron Sheffield?

I think this 5th year eligibility question will also have a big impact on Jon's thinking. It's tough to line up against 5th years with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores.
 
Good work brevity! I was secretly hoping someone might jump in. My memory wasn't too bad.

So a big swing factor here is whether those 1-2 transfers are more like Sion James or Cameron Sheffield?

I think this 5th year eligibility question will also have a big impact on Jon's thinking. It's tough to line up against 5th years with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores.
Maliq Brown is a true junior. It's about the makeup of the player more than the ago IMO.
 
Back
Top