Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils Associate Head Coach Chris Carrawell shoots the ball during the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Duke Guard Lands Recognition in Elite Ranking

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Oct 26, 2025 8:00 AM ET

It is going to be a fun watch for all Duke Blue Devils fans this season. They have put together another top team in the Nation. And at the end of the season, they could be the best team in all of college basketball. That is the ultimate goal for this Duke team.

The returning players know how much they want to get back to the Final Four, but this time be the team that is holding up the National Championship Trophy at the end of the year.

This Duke group is another deep group that is bringing in a great recruiting class with a lot of talented freshmen. But what many believe will make this team dangerous is all the returning players and upperclassmen who know what to expect from this program and how they want things to be run.

They are going to help all the freshmen in this program and how to grow throughout the season. That is something Duke has not had a lot of with the new age college basketball.

Another big thing for this team is the coaching staff. It is a great one that is led by head coach Jon Scheyer.

He has a great group behind him, and they all know what the ultimate goal is, but they want to make sure they put all their players in the best position to be successful this season, both on and off the court. This coaching staff has done well with its young players, and that will continue this season. It is going to be interesting to see how this group develops your Scheyer and his staff.

A big-time freshman who is expected to have a big-time role on this team is guard Nikolas Khamenia. Khamenia was one of the 5-star recruits that Scheyer brought in this season.

Myron Medcalf of ESPN recently ranked Khamenia as the No. 86 player in the country.

86. Nikolas Khamenia

Duke Blue Devils | G | Fr.

Cameron Boozer is the headliner of Duke's top overall recruiting class, but Khamenia -- a five-star recruit who was 15th in the SC Next Top 100 -- is a critical player within that group. Coach Jon Scheyer recently praised Khamenia for his vocal leadership in practices and workouts. The big man will be a key option for a youthful rotation that will attempt to make another deep tournament run after last year's Final Four appearance. -- Medcalf

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE, and following us on X (formerly Twitter)HERE

This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: