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Five-Star Recruit Sends Clear Message After Duke Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 25, 2025 2:29 AM ET

Duke is coming off a season during which many picked it to win the men's NCAA championship. But instead of a victory celebration, its season ended with a stunning loss in the Final Four round to Houston.

Cooper Flagg, its freshman phenom this past season, is headed to the NBA, presumably as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft to the Dallas Mavericks. Big man Khaman Maluach and sharpshooter Kon Knueppel are also expected to go fairly high in the draft next month.

But the Blue Devils have added some talent by getting a commitment from top foreign prospect Dame Sarr. The 6-foot-8 18-year-old, who is originally from Italy, decided to head to Duke after getting offers from a number of other prominent schools, including Kansas.

On social media, Sarr sent a clear message about why he chose Duke.

"The brotherhood is a big family," the caption read. "You can tell that every guy wants one another to succeed in basketball and in life, on and off the court. Making my decision, I spoke to a lot of people and heard only great things about this program. I feel very, very good about Duke and Coach Scheyer's vision for me."

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Sarr started playing organized basketball at six years of age for Basket Oderzo, a local team in Italy. He then joined FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022 at the age of 16, and this past season, he made the franchise's first team roster.

He made an appearance in this year's Nike Hoop Summit, which created a bit of controversy. Sarr asked FC Barcelona if he could play in the event, and it said no, and it released a public statement in which it called his decision to appear in the event a breach of his obligations.

He ended up leaving the team in April, but he is now headed to one of college basketball's greatest and most decorated programs as he looks to take the next step in his basketball journey.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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