Kon Knueppel didn’t just offer Bryson Howard a few kind words after the McDonald’s All-American Game snub. He gave him the kind of message that says everything about Duke’s culture.
There’s a lot of talk in college basketball about brotherhood, about programs claiming a bond that lasts beyond one roster and one season. Duke, at least by the way former players keep showing up for the next wave, seems to actually live it.
Knueppel made that clear on The Crazie Cast when he explained that he reached out to Howard after the freshman was left out of the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game.
“I actually reached out to Bryson this year after he didn't make it,” Knueppel said, via the Crazie Cast. “Just to tell him that it's not the end of the world. You'll be all right.”
Howard’s omission was one of the bigger snubs from the event. Future Duke teammates Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey Jr. were selected, while Howard was not.
Knueppel knew exactly what that felt like. He was passed over for the 2024 game himself, and he turned that disappointment into a strong freshman year at Duke, averaging over 14 points per game on highly efficient shooting. That season put him in position to become the No. 4 pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Draft, and he finished runner-up in the Rookie of the Year voting to former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg.
That doesn’t mean Howard is headed down the same path just because he was snubbed. But it does reinforce the point Knueppel was making: missing out on that invite doesn’t close any doors.
Howard is arriving in Durham with less of the spotlight than some of his classmates, even though he’s hardly an unknown. He’s the son of former NBA player Josh Howard and a blue-chip recruit in his own right, but he hasn’t drawn the same attention as Williams, Rippey, or Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
Still, he’s a five-star recruit and the No. 22 overall player in the 247 composite rankings. Duke’s roster is loaded, so minutes won’t be handed out easily. But Howard has the kind of talent that can force the issue.
And after the McDonald’s All-American snub, he’ll have one more thing working for him when he gets to Durham: motivation.
In Other News...
NBA Legend Just Singled Out A Former Duke Star For Praise
Jabari Parkers name still carries real weight when one of the NBAs biggest stars starts reflecting on the people who shaped him. In a farewell video after being traded to the Miami Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo singled out the former Duke standout and said Parker pushed him to work harder early in his career, a reminder of how quickly Parker went from college phenom to a player other pros still remember for the standard he set.
For Duke fans, it is a familiar kind of what-could-have-been conversation, because Parkers lone season in Durham was enough to make him one of the most talked-about players in the country. His NBA path never matched that early promise, with injuries taking a heavy toll, but praise like this shows the respect for his game never really went away. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Answer At Quarterback Is Finally Starting To Take Shape
After a spring and summer of uncertainty at the most important position on the field, Dukes quarterback picture is finally starting to come into focus. The Blue Devils had to reset after Darian Mensah transferred to Miami following the fallout from his multiyear NIL deal and the lawsuit that was later settled out of court, leaving the staff to search for a new answer as the 2026 season approached.
A graduate transfer from San Jose State has now emerged as the projected starter, and he was granted a waiver this offseason to be eligible next year. Even with that move giving Duke a clearer path at quarterback, the job still has to be sorted out on the field, with Dan Mahan, Ari Patu and Terry Walker III among the players who could push for the role once competition begins. [Read more 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Was Courtside For A Massive Duke Recruiting Check-In
Jon Scheyer and assistant Emanuel Dildy were courtside at a Nike EYBL game that doubled as a useful recruiting check-in, with 2027 Duke commit Kager Knueppel and another high-priority target, Beckham Black, facing off in a one-point game. Team Herro edged AB Elite 52-51, giving the Blue Devils staff a live look at two prospects who sit near the center of Dukes early 2027 board, along with a chance to track how Knueppel continues to fit into the programs long-term plan.
Black, one of the fastest-rising names in the class, has already drawn a recent Duke offer and arrived with the kind of family basketball background that tends to keep bluebloods paying attention. Knueppels outing was quieter than usual, but the bigger takeaway for Duke was simply being in the building for a matchup that also fit into a wider 2027 search, with Adan Diggs and Lewis Uvwo among the other names on the staffs radar. [Read more 🡒]