COLUMN: The journey of Dame Sarr from maybe Duke, to not Duke, to probably Duke

By: Ty Scott

May 21, 2025

Jon Scheyer has shown a willingness to go outside the United States with his recruiting ventures as Duke's head coach.

First it was Australian-born Tyrese Proctor and then South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach last season. Both of these players proved to be important assets to the team. And now, Scheyer is looking to add to that list of international players with the addition of Italian five-star forward Dame Sarr for this upcoming season’s roster.

Sarr is 6-foot-7 with an even longer wingspan of around 7-feet. At just 18 years old, he played professionally with FC Barcelona in Spain this past season alongside former Duke star Jabari Parker. Sarr is a projected first round pick in the 2026 NBA draft because of his measurements and upside potential, which have also attracted the attention of multiple power conference teams in college basketball.

When looking at his stats with FC Barcelona, it's important to remember that he is still just 18 years old and playing on a professional team against grown men. But Sarr did have good offensive splits despite being used very little, which proves that there is potential in his game. Sarr can shoot and slash and get to the basket. That skillset has earned him some comparisons to former Duke one-and-done star R.J. Barrett.

Sarr's recruitment has been like a mystery novel this offseason with many different twists and turns. When reports first came out that Sarr wanted to play college hoops this upcoming year, rumors circulated that the first team in his sights was Illinois.

After a few weeks of believing that Sarr was headed to Champaign, the Illini received a commitment from coveted Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic, who plays a similar position as Sarr. Around that time, Duke began to be linked to the Blue Devils. But Duke eventually received a commitment from Washington State wing transfer Cedric Coward, who had also declared for the NBA draft.

Duke fans were overall happy with their new veteran wing Coward, but his commitment left many wondering if Duke would still go after Sarr. Many experts believed that Coward and Sarr were exclusive to each other, so Sarr to Duke seemed too far-fetched. 

Coward's ultimate draft decision will play a major role in Sarr's commitment. And lately, the Washington State transfer is shooting up draft boards (into the mid to late first round) after a strong performance at the NBA Combine. If Coward does indeed stay in the draft --- which would seem to be the most likely outcome at this point --- Sarr to Duke gains a ton of momentum.

In early May, rumors in the college hoops circle dictated that the fight to acquire Sarr was down to Oregon and Kansas, with the Jayhawks as the favorite.

But after Coward's performance at the combine, he left Duke fans thinking, “Well, he won’t be in Durham next year, so what’s Scheyer going to do?” At first, many believed that attempting to snag Sarr away from Kansas to be a long shot. 

But, as we know, Scheyer is a proven recruiter that has incredible pull. It's likely that Scheyer never broke contact with Sarr, and lately the tides have turned for the Sarr to Duke train.

Last week, On3's Joe Tipton reported that Duke has become the favorite to land Sarr, with momentum turning seemingly with the snap of Scheyer's fingers.  Sarr was on campus in Durham this past weekend, which is another encouraging sign for Duke. Recently, it has become a rarity for recruits to visit the beautiful Duke campus and not commit to play for the Blue Devils. 

My thought on this recruitment is that Duke will move on from Coward, telling him, “Go do your thing, Cedric, but we can’t wait for you,” and will aim their sights on Sarr.

Sarr has played the long game and he very well may have had his eyes on Duke the entire time, he just needed a spot to open up. In my opinion, he would be a good fit with Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans on the offensive side of the ball and has great potential as a defender due to his size and wingspan, which Scheyer prioritizes.

Ty Scott | @tyscottsays