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COLUMN: Duke got the Boozers: so, what now?


Photo: Duke MBB

October 16, 2024


The following in an opinion column written by a member of the Duke Wisdom Network. You can submit columns or news commentary of your own by joining the network.



Following the commitments of Cameron and Cayden Boozer on Friday, Oct. 11, who will Duke look to add to its 2025 recruiting class?


The Blue Devils have extended many scholarship offers for this class. But with the verbal commitments of the Boozers, you can basically remove some of the options that were previously considering Duke. For starters, a prospect that plays with a similar style at the same position as Cameron, is Koa Peat, a top 10 prospect. It seems likely that Peat will now be looking at other schools more intensely.


Acaden Lewis is another recruit who could be crossing Duke off as an option for his college career. He will likely be leaning towards either Kentucky or UConn ( he plays the same position as Cayden Boozer).


Head coach Jon Scheyer has been beating the drum that Duke will always bring in top high school prospects to their teams and will not not solely build each roster from the transfer portal. It seems that he believes the talent in the portal doesn’t always compare to top end recruits in high school. At the end of the day, you are not going to find a Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer in the portal.


So, with that being said, which high school prospects do I believe Duke will be looking to reel in for the class of 2025?


The first player the Blue Devils will look at to compliment the smooth power game of Cameron Boozer is Nate Ament. Granted, both play the four spot, but they do so in different ways. Boozer can stretch the floor at times, but he mostly does his work in the paint like an 80s or 90s big man. It’s almost as if he was born in the wrong generation. 


Ament, however, is a three level scorer. He stands at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. Ament can get his shot off behind the arc to create space for the whole team. Boozer and Ament are both great passers, which would help create more chances for their teammates. Ament has a good mid-range game as well. He will be able to use his NBA length to get his shot over most college wings.



Recent rumors on social media allege that Ament wants to play with fellow recruit Shelton Henderson. Both players recently visited Duke at its Countdown to Craziness event, and so naturally rumors immediately started brewing after the visit that the two might like to play together in in Durham.


Let’s look at Shelton Henderson: he’s a 6-foot-6 wing from Bellaire, Texas. He is is not a shooter per se, but more of an elite athletic glue guy. Many Duke fans will first think of former player Justise Winslow as a potential player comparison, but some have said he compares more accurately to Wendell Moore due to his defensive versatility and strength. Those abilities and skills help make teammates better, and coaches are always looking to add players that posses those intangibles to their teams.


Henderson is from the same high school as Duke head associate coach Jai Lucas, who has been putting in the time with many high school visits this offseason.


Henderson recently dropped his final three schools: Duke, Louisville and Texas. Keeping consistent with their trend of sticking together for visits, Ament and Henderson visited Texas together as well in late September before Countdown to Craziness. However, Ament recently visited Louisville alone, and Henderson just visited by himself prior to visiting Durham, too.



Some experts have asserted that Ament is looking toward a spring commitment during the Late Signing Period. With the rumor of him and Henderson wanting to play together, it's possible that his projected timeline could move up.


Ament has already been on Duke's campus many times throughout his recruiting journey, and in my eyes, I don’t see how Duke could lose out on Ament unless it turns out that he is not interested in playing with Cameron Boozer. 


If you look at this year’s Duke team, what do you see most of? Wings. Jon Scheyer loves his wings. Prior to the rumors of teaming up with Ament, I believed that Henderson would either end up at Duke or Louisville. But as of right now, there really isn’t a clear answer to me. Maybe Henderson feels the wing situation is too crowded by wings who shoot, which Scheyer does love. But Scheyer also values defense and toughness, which Henderson brings as well.


You rarely should bet against the best closer in college recruiting that is Jon Scheyer. Scheyer has brought in 13 different 5-star recruits to the biggest brand in college basketball since taking the reins in four years. And he soon might add to that number.




Ty Scott | @tyscottsays on X / Twitter


Edited by Ben McCormick



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