Five-Star Duke Basketball Target on Blueblood Commitment Watch

About Howard

Howard, No. 12 overall and No. 1 among Texas prospects on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, is also considering his Kentucky basketball suitors and Duke's top blueblood rival in Hubert Davis' UNC basketball recruiting team.

In fact, after showcasing his elite athleticism and budding versatility at the USA Basketball Junior October Minicamp on Saturday, Howard confirmed to media members on hand that his three finalists are, in no particular order, Duke, UNC, and Kentucky.

The 6-foot-5, 188-pound wing, son of 2007 NBA All-Star Josh Howard, landed on Scheyer & Co.'s 2026 Duke basketball offer sheet back in June and has been a priority target for the Blue Devils ever since.

He also toured UNC and Kentucky in recent weeks. Although Howard admits to having a decision date in mind, he has opted not to reveal that date to the public just yet.

As SLAM HS Hoops pointed out in the following post, the 17-year-old was unrated on most college basketball recruiting sites before soaring to five-star status due to his summer grassroots prowess.

"Howard is a long and athletic southpaw wing who changes the game on both ends of the floor," 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein noted in a scouting report in late July. "...Defensively, he’s engaged, excels with his court coverage, and has good playmaking metrics...Offensively, he could take his game to new levels by developing his right hand and decision-making, particularly when he’s in attack mode..."

Jon Scheyer and his powerhouse crew are still looking for their first pledge in the 2026 arena.

Last cycle, the Blue Devils enjoyed a flurry of five-star prizes around this time last year. And they ultimately pieced together the nation's top overall recruiting haul yet again, despite losing one of their four fall signees in small forward Shelton Henderson, who was one of the premier Texas preps in the 2025 class, as he later decommitted to join Miami basketball head coach Jai Lucas, not long after Lucas left the Duke bench in March.