EuroLeague Prospect Dame Sarr and Ivan Kharchenkov Commit to NCAA Universities

The saga of Dame Sarr has officially come to an end. The Italian wing turned away NCAA pursuits in the summer of 2024, instead joining EuroLeague club Barcelona. While there, he made his way up their rotation, particularly in the second half of the season, and became a regular off the bench. Impressive for a 19-year-old wing. Young players often struggle for rotation minutes in Spain's Liga ACB, and especially in the EuroLeague.

But after establishing himself in Barcelona's rotation, Sarr did the unthinkable. He left for the Nike Hoop Summit, choosing a great opportunity as a prospect over a key upcoming El Clásico match with Real Madrid in Liga ACB play. It was the most brazen sign of European clubs' waning influence over developing prospects since the advent of NIL money and the growing exodus of the old continent's talent to the States. While there is no denying Sarr did what was best for him as a prospect, it was disrespectful to Barcelona and, at best, raised a gray area in his contract. At worst, it was a direct breach of contract.

But Sarr made the right choice. He shone at the Hoop Summit and with his play, he started the conversation about whether or not he should enter the 2025 NBA Draft as his name entered first-round pick discussions. But Sarr ultimately withdrew and has now committed to Duke for the 2025-26 season. He'll be a much-needed replacement on the wing following major departures such as Cooper Flag and Kon Knueppel.

Sarr thrives as a downhill scorer, combining his long strides and elite body control with his touch and growing on-ball skills. When he comes off screens and has a defender on his back, he is difficult to stop for high-level professionals in Spain last season. He's strong with the ball on his drives, and ended the season shooting 45 percent from deep across all competitions, but on a very small sample size of 29 attempts. Sarr's two-month growth in the early parts of 2025 was not only instrumental to him but also to the future of European basketball prospect development. As the dynamics continue to evolve in the next few years, Sarr's 2024-25 season should not be forgotten as a turning point.

He is not the only young EuroLeague wing heading to the States for the 2025-26 season. Russian prospect Ivan Kharchenkov, who earned a rotation role with Gordon Herbert's Bayern Munich this season, has committed to Arizona State University. At 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds of muscle, Kharchenkov has great size for a wing. He uses his strength well on the defensive end, often walling off older professionals this previous season, and also leverages it on the offensive end as a cutter and slasher. He finishes through contact comfortably and practically never gets pushed off his line.

Kharchenkov did struggle as a shooter this season, 24 percent from deep on over 100 attempts and 50 percent from the free throw line on 84 attempts across all competitions. To be a high-impact player next season, and especially if he wants to develop into an NBA player, he'll need to raise both of those numbers significantly. Currently, it wouldn't be a shock to see Kharchenkov used as an undersized big as a freshman given his physical advantages, and moved to the wing should his shooting improve. Both he and Sarr will be a thrill to watch next season.