Previewing Duke's Top Freshman Basketball Player

This upcoming season, it will be important for these players to continue to build that chemistry they have been building all summer, all fall long. It is different when you get on the court with a team that has not played as a unit together against an opposing team.

But this coaching staff has done a great job of doing this for the last couple of years and they will do it again. That is one advantage that this team has with its coaching staff. 

Duke Talented Incoming Freshmen

One big player for the Blue Devils is freshman Nikolas Khamenia. He is one of the big players from this recruiting class who is looking to do big things this season.

“A consensus five-star recruit, the 6-foot-8 freshman comes to Duke off the back of an exciting high school career at Harvard-Westlake High School, which he followed with a gold medal-winning campaign at the 2025 FIBA U-19 World Cup,” said Ben Newman of The Chronicle. 

“Khamenia’s trip to Switzerland for the tournament was exceptional, averaging 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in just 15.2 minutes a game, all while shooting 44% from downtown. This was Khamenei's third time representing Team USA in international tournaments; he has helped lead his team to a gold medal on each occasion.”

“On The Brotherhood podcast, the Los Angeles native credited much of his recruiting hype to his time with the national team, having first met head coach Jon Scheyer at a Team USA mini-camp.”

Role on the team: 

“While he is ESPN’s No. 15-ranked recruit — the second-highest ranking of the incoming Blue Devils —  Khamenei matriculates alongside a stacked recruiting class, including four-star Sebastian Wilkins and Dame Sarr, who has played professional basketball across Europe.”

“With Cameron Boozer all but guaranteed to start at power forward, competition at small forward looks fierce. Although Khamenei might not be on the floor during the first tipoff, his familiarity with bright lights in big games makes him indispensable as a rotation regular. Come November, expect to see him enter games ready to find the open man and string together plays. Khamenei has ample opportunity to earn playing time this season and has emphasized his excitement to improve under Coach Scheyer.”