Duke’s latest move on the 2027 trail fits the way Jon Scheyer is building his roster for the long haul.
The Blue Devils have scheduled an official visit with 4-star forward Asa Montgomery, a 6-foot-7 prospect from Hillgrove High School in Georgia who they offered about a week ago. Montgomery is ranked No. 28 overall and No. 8 among small forwards in the 2027 class by the 247Sports Composite, and his list of suitors has already grown crowded. Recent offers have come from UConn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Arizona and Michigan, and he has lined up visits to Duke on Oct. 2, along with LSU, Florida, UConn, Providence, North Carolina, Arizona and Louisville.
Montgomery’s profile is the kind Duke has been leaning into lately: a bigger wing who can score, rebound and defend multiple spots. He flashed all of that this summer at the FIBA U17 Men’s World Cup with Team USA, where he played alongside Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and potential 5-star Duke 2027 target Beckham Black. In seven games, Montgomery averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 17.0 minutes per outing.
That fit matters because Duke’s roster picture a year from now could look very different, and the staff seems to be preparing for it. The Blue Devils have also offered 5-star Demarcus Henry and 4-star Deng Ngor, two more wing types in the 2027 class. The through line is clear: Duke is stacking options on the perimeter with size and versatility.
That approach lines up with the current backcourt situation as well. Duke has the deepest guard group in college basketball this season with seniors Caleb Foster and John Blackwell, sophomore Cayden Boozer and 5-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. Foster and Blackwell are in their true senior years, but the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model could alter their paths.
Under the new “5-in-5” model, Foster and Blackwell could return to Duke in 2027-28 if they wanted to. In theory, all four guards on Scheyer’s roster heading into this season could be back a year from now. That possibility is still far from settled, but it helps explain why Duke is making room on the board for wings like Montgomery.
In today’s college game, keeping proven players and building continuity can matter just as much as landing another elite high school name. Duke’s pursuit of Montgomery suggests Scheyer and his staff are at least planning for a future in which some of those current guards stick around.
And even if Foster and Blackwell do not come back to Durham, Duke would still likely want to hold onto at least one of Boozer or Rippey. Either way, Montgomery’s visit is another sign that the Blue Devils are thinking several moves ahead.
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