Duke basketball may be opening the door to a different kind of blue-chip path in Durham.
The Blue Devils have already produced seven one-and-done players in the first four years of the Jon Scheyer era, and 31 since 2011, 33 overall. But with 17-year-old forward/center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje reclassifying from 2027 to 2026 and committing in the spring, there’s now a real sense that Duke could be becoming a destination for elite prospects who plan to stay two seasons instead of one.
That idea got a strong push Wednesday morning at ACC Media Day in Charlotte, where Scheyer made it clear he expects this to become more common.
"I promise you that's the first of many guys to do it in years to come." I asked Jon Scheyer about Duke basketball being a trend-setter with its recruitment of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
Scheyer also joked about Cooper Flagg's birth certificate in his response to me here. Have a… pic.twitter.com/XVI89Pw51d
"Well, we tried to do it two years ago and fake [Cooper Flagg's] birth certificate to make him two weeks younger..." Scheyer joked.
He then pointed to Boumtje Boumtje as a sign of where the sport is headed.
"You're going to see this more," he continued in talking about Boumtje Boumtje, a 7-foot-2, 250-pound five-star prospect from Florida who starred for FC Barcelona in Spain and for Team USA in FIBA U17 World Cup action over the summer and is the son of former Georgetown and NBA big man Ruben Boumtje Boumtje. "You're going to see this more. It's just the way college has changed.
"The fact that you get a guy like 'Jojo' for two years to grow with him and to have the continuity, I promise you that's the first of many guys to do it in years to come - although, I don't think it's for everybody. I think you have to be really specific. From our point of view and also if I was giving advice, I would be very careful about if I had a kid in that position of who could actually do that."
Boumtje Boumtje, who won the dunk contest at Duke's Countdown to Craziness, is set to begin his Duke career when the Blue Devils host Belmont in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7 p.m. ET Thursday on ACCNX. Scheyer’s fourth group of Blue Devils will open its preseason slate in that game.
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Georgia Tech comes in off a bye looking for a reset after a difficult season, and Brent Keys team will try to build around first-year starter Alberto Mendoza. For Duke, the broader question is not just whether it can stay unbeaten, but whether it can keep answering the same test on the road, against a team still searching for traction and a setting that has made this matchup tricky before. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Frontcourt May Hinge On One Underrated Newcomer
Jon Scheyer keeps circling back to Drew Scharnowski as one of the more intriguing pieces in Dukes offseason haul, and not just because the Belmont transfer arrives with a reputation for bringing size and versatility to the frontcourt. The Blue Devils are trying to sort out a rotation that can hold up once games start counting, and Scharnowskis presence was always going to matter because of how he fits with returning big man Patrick Ngongba and the younger forwards trying to earn minutes.
For now, though, Duke is waiting. Scharnowski is dealing with a knee injury and will not be available for the exhibition against Belmont, which at least delays the first look at how the frontcourt might take shape. Scheyer has indicated the two big men could share the floor often, and there is even a path for Scharnowski to push into the starting mix, a development that would not only change the look of Dukes lineup but also ease the pressure on freshmen Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams as they learn on the fly. [Read more 🡒]