Greensboro Day School sophomore Grant Duggins is already turning heads in Duke’s backyard.
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound power forward was recently in Durham for an unofficial Duke visit, according to Phenom Hoop Report via social media on Friday. It’s an early development, but one that fits the growing buzz around a prospect whose recruitment figures to get crowded fast.
Duggins has already landed an offer from Kansas earlier this week, and his list also includes NC State, Florida State and Iowa, among others. He’s the No. 9 overall player in ESPN’s 2029 SCNEXT 25 and the top-ranked North Carolina prep in the class.
"My strengths are that I can do a little bit of everything," Duggins explained to Pro Insight during the following video interview in July. "I can shoot.
I can drive. I can finish at the rim.
I can do a pull-up jumper. I can rebound.
And I can guard well, one through five. So, basically just being a Swiss Army knife."
That all-around profile has already sparked familiar comparisons. Duggins’ frame and early skill set have brought to mind Ryan Kelly, the North Carolina native who played at Duke from 2009-2013, won a national title in 2010 and announced his retirement in April after a 13-year pro career that included time in the NBA and overseas.
Big Shots Basketball made the same connection last summer, describing Duggins as "A name to know rising up the national ranks, Grant Duggins is a shooting forward with perimeter skills and advanced feel for the game, developing at powerhouse Greensboro Day." The evaluation also pointed to his "Smooth stroke, great footwork at his size, and positional versatility," while noting, "His game draws early comparisons to Ryan Kelly."
For now, Duke has not officially targeted any high school sophomores in the 2029 recruiting cycle. Still, with Duggins’ ranking, his rising profile and the apparent mutual interest, he’s the kind of name that belongs on the watch list.
Meanwhile, Jon Scheyer’s staff is also active elsewhere. Duke has offers out to more than a handful of undecided 2027 recruits, and the Blue Devils are in the mix for a pair of 2028 five-stars in Coatesville Area High School’s Colton Hiller and St. Francis High School’s Yann Kamagate, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the 247Sports 2028 Composite.
In Other News...
Jon Scheyer Still Wants One Kind Of Player At Duke
Jon Scheyers recruiting pitch at Duke still starts well beyond points, rebounds and rankings. As he continues the programs long-running emphasis on building around character, he wants players who come with a strong support system and the kind of independence that suggests they can handle more than just the next game. It is a familiar through line from the Mike Krzyzewski era, with families still part of the process and the off-court side of a prospect carrying real weight in Durham.
Scheyers view is that the Duke experience should prepare players for more than basketball success, and that means being ready for adversity, mistakes and the lessons that follow. He believes the right prospects are not only talented enough to fit the Blue Devils, but grounded enough to navigate the hard parts of college life and still grow from them. In his mind, the best fits are the ones who can lean on others without needing to be carried. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Has Duke Winning With One Problem Fans Will Hate
Manny Diaz has Duke winning, but the financial backdrop around the football program still looks more like a warning sign than a celebration. The Blue Devils roster spending for the 2026 season is estimated between $12 million and $15 million, a figure that leaves them 67th out of 68 Power Four teams and well below the ACC average, even as the team has stayed competitive and carried momentum from last seasons ACC championship into a strong early run this year.
The good news for Duke is that the program plans to spend more on the roster in the future, which should help it keep pace in a league where money increasingly shapes the ceiling. The hard part is less about the plan than the timing, because Diaz has already shown he can win with limited resources in Durham, and that kind of success does not go unnoticed for long. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Diaz Sent A Clear Message After Duke's Road Upset
Dukes 2-0 start got a major boost Saturday in its road upset of Illinois, and the defense was the biggest reason why. After a shaky opening stretch, the Blue Devils tightened everything up and leaned on a unit that held Illinois to just three points in the second half, with safety Andrew Pellicciotta pacing the effort with 11 tackles.
For Manny Diaz, the result fit the kind of identity he has been trying to build. Duke now heads into its first ACC game of the season against Stanford with real momentum, but also with proof that this team can travel, absorb punches and still finish with a defensive edge when it matters most. [Read more 🡒]