Duke, UNC star freshmen complete journey from Elite teammates to elite rivals

Maurice “Kenoe” Jordan knows how to spot stars.

The Grammy-winning producer has worked with Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. When he founded the Nike EYBL basketball club Nightrydas Elite, that same instinct followed him to the hardwood.

“You know superstars and talent when you see it because you done seen it before,” Kenoe told The News & Observer. “It’s like watching a movie. You’re like, I done seen this movie before.”

If this upcoming UNC-Duke rivalry game were a movie, it might be Heat — Michael Mann’s 1995 crime thriller where Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, two masters of their craft who’d never shared the screen, finally sat across from each other in that iconic diner scene. Except the freshmen stars of this contest, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and UNC’s Caleb Wilson, have shared the court before. They were teammates on Nightrydas Elite and won Peach Jam together with Cam’s twin, Duke point guard Cayden Boozer.

While Cam Boozer was widely considered one of the best high school players in the country, alongside BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, entering the 2024 Peach Jam tournament, Wilson entered the biggest recruiting event of the year a bit more under the radar.

That changed quickly. Wilson’s performance alongside the Boozers at Peach Jam vaulted him to the No. 5 spot of ESPN’s top 100, right near Cam Boozer at No. 3.

These two freshmen stars know each other’s games intimately. They’ve shared the same uniform and celebrated a championship together. But respect doesn’t mean friendship — certainly not when in-state rivalries are involved.

“I’m gonna tell you how I’m feeling right now,” Wilson said in a viral clip back in September. “I don’t like Duke, I don’t like N.C. State, I don’t like Wake Forest. This year, we’re putting belt on everybody.”

Saturday, Wilson will get his first chance to back up the talk in the biggest rivalry in college sports, against his former teammate.

‘After that first practice, the rest was history’

Kenoe first spotted Wilson as an eighth-grader at a tournament in Miami. Wilson was playing for a different program, but the Grammy-winning producer saw something.

“I seen him play then and thought he was a pretty good player that could fit,” Kenoe said. “But sometimes things work out when it’s supposed to work out.”

In April 2024, the opportunity came. Wilson wanted a change of scenery for his final AAU season. Nightrydas wanted him. Kenoe told him to come practice, see if he liked it.

“After that first practice, the rest was history,” Kenoe said.

Wilson was the newcomer walking into an already established dynasty. Kenoe had known the Boozer twins since second grade, and the team was coming off two-straight Peach Jam titles.

“It was a different setting for him,” said Andrew Moran, who coached that Nightrydas team and is currently on Miami’s basketball staff. “He came into a team that had been established. There were other big, high-level players on the team. He came in and found his way. He listened and allowed me to coach.”

Early on, Cam Boozer and Wilson took their time getting used to each other, Moran said. But both were unselfish and both understood their strengths. Boozer brought control and physicality. Wilson brought defensive intensity and relentless energy.

“The switchability, he was able to guard basically one through five and do a great job on each position,” Cayden Boozer told The N&O. “I feel like his defense separates him from a lot of good players. And his motor.”

They were built differently — Boozer strong, heavy and wide, Wilson more athletic and explosive — but they highlighted each other, found each other in transition and in the half-court with ease.

“I think the biggest thing was sharing the ball,” Moran said. “If you have a highly talented team and the ball isn’t shared, it becomes a problem. Because then, everyone’s not feeling like they can share what they bring to the table.”

The proof came in the Peach. Wilson exploded for 29 points in the Peach Jam semifinals, earning him a huge jump in the national conversation. Boozer earned tournament MVP in the finals, while Wilson took home Defensive MVP as the Nightrydas earned the first-ever Nike EYBL three-peat.

“We made history,” Kenoe said. “That was a goal set out when Caleb came. It was a goal for him to win Peach Jam. It’s a very tough league. It’s hard to do. Just to be able to have that… [it’s] something that we’ll never forget.”

Boozer, Wilson form historic freshmen class

Former Duke assistant and current Miami head coach Jai Lucas has spent years studying talent, recruiting it — or against it — and watching it develop. He knew the 2025-26 freshman class was loaded with potential NBA stars, but even he couldn’t have anticipated this.

“I kind of got a feeling that this class and their impact was going to be really high,” Lucas said. “But to this level of what it is? I didn’t expect that.”

College basketball hasn’t seen anything quite like this freshman class. These diaper dandies aren’t simply dominant — they’re rewriting the record books on a nightly basis.

On a single Saturday in late January, the nation witnessed an unfathomable showcase of first-year dominance: Illinois’ Keaton Wagler dropped 46 points at Purdue’s Mackey Arena, the most scored by an opponent in that building. Houston’s Kingston Flemings poured in 42 at Texas Tech, setting a record for most points by a freshman in a road game against a ranked opponent — until Wagler broke it hours later. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa shattered Danny Ainge’s school freshman scoring record with 43 against Utah. Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. took over down the stretch for 31 points in a road win at LSU. And on and on.

In the Triangle? It was more of the same. Boozer casually notched his second straight 30-point game in a win over Wake Forest. Wilson scored 20 points in a come-from-behind road win over then-No. 14 Virginia that same day, tying two UNC freshman records in the process. He has since broken those marks achieved by Tyler Hansbrough and Rashad McCants and continues to add on.

“It’s been cool to watch from afar, to see what these guys do,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “It always amazes me as a guy that played a lot as a freshman, just the confidence that these guys come in with. Their talent level is really, really incredible. I feel like these kids are getting more and more talented.”

The numbers back up Capel. Cam Boozer leads the nation in scoring at 23.5 points per game while pulling down nearly 10 rebounds. Wilson is posting a 19.9-10.1 double-double. Dybantsa is averaging 23.3 points. Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, the top NBA prospect, is averaging 21.1. The depth extends beyond the lottery picks — Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, a former three-star recruit who Tar Heel fans are certainly now aware of, is scoring 21.8 per game.

“The depth of it is pretty impressive,” N.C. State coach Will Wade said. “Obviously, the top-end talent is elite. But there’s some guys in the middle that have really risen up. Look at the kid from Illinois [Wagler] and how well he’s been playing. And we’ve got some of the best freshmen in the country in our league with Wilson at North Carolina, obviously Boozer at Duke, Mikel Brown at Louisville.”

Wade continued, ticking through names.

“But also, of the top 10 we’ve got [in the country], we’ve got three or four of them in our league here, which is great for the ACC,” Wade said, “and it’s why we’re going to get a lot more NCAA Tournament bids.”

Cam Boozer has the basketball genes

Cam Boozer always seemed destined for stardom. His dad, Carlos, was a Duke All-America, won a national championship on his way to the NBA. It was in his genes, his hoops pedigree.

Cam was 6-5 when he was 13 and 6-9 at 16. Cayden’s growth spurt wasn’t quite as prolific, but Cam quickly became the quintessential big man at every level – strong, tough, mobile.

That now includes the ACC.

Stanford coach Kyle Smith, asked about a basketball comparison, likened Boozer to former Wake Forest center Tim Duncan in his skill, economy of movement, impact.

“He reminds me of Duncan in that the game’s pretty easy for him,” Smith said. “He doesn’t overwhelm you, but he’s a very good athlete. He’s very precise in everything he does. Very smart.

“Sometimes you can’t scout against that. You’ve just got to fight the fight.”

Cal forward John Camden, a big guy at 6-8 and 220 pounds, tried to fight that fight. In the game against Duke at Haas Pavilion, Boozer was limited to four points in the opening half as the Golden Bears played smartly on defense, limiting his touches, his looks.

“I thought we really did a good job on him in the first half,” Camden said after the game.

And the second half? “He definitely had his way.”

Boozer had 17 points in the second half of the 71-56 victory, spurring a 21-5 Duke run with 11 points. It has been a common theme for Duke: Boozer big in second halves.

Camden had one last thought. To play against Boozer and Duke, you have to be ready to play “bully ball.”

Virginia Tech coach Mike Young, after watching Duke beat the Hokies last weekend, had a simple assessment of Boozer, a sentiment that Young said he texted to Carlos Boozer.

“He plays the right way. He plays the game the right way,” Young said.

Young had just seen Boozer score and rebound and make all the right plays, but was just as impressed by his passing skills.

Boozer has had five or more assists in seven games, with a season-high 9 against Florida State. Again, by always being a talented big man he has seen his share of defensive double teams, and knows how to handle them.

Against the Hokies, Boozer was on the left wing, was doubled, and zipped a crosscourt pass to an Isaiah Evans for a 3-pointer.

“He is an elite passer,” Young said. “He throws lasers. Those aren’t lollipops. They’re on a frozen rope to the other side.”

Boozer was triple-teamed on one play Tuesday against Boston College, with the defenders all clawing at the ball. But Boozer wasn’t fazed and muscled the ball through the threesome to Caleb Foster, who fed Isaiah Evans for a layup.

‘It’ll be fun to play’

On Saturday, the Boozers and Wilson meet for the first time as rivals. Two twins, three former teammates and two top-five picks, separated by 11 miles and a chasm of history.

Cam Boozer still remembers the Peach Jam run, how Wilson guarded the other team’s best player, caught lobs and made big-time plays.

“He’s a big-time player, for sure,” Boozer told The N&O. “He’s having a great season. Super proud of him.”

Cayden Boozer kept it simple when asked about his former teammate: “He’s a really good player and is having a really good year.” He remembers their playing days, but also team dinners and Wilson’s humor.

Wilson returned the respect on Monday night when asked about the Boozer twins. He talked about Cayden’s court vision and joked the twins play with an almost telepathic connection. He spoke highly, too, of Cam’s physicality and his all-around game.

“We won Peach Jam together, and we really just ran through the field,” Wilson said. “So it’ll be fun to play against those guys and I feel like it’ll be a really good game.”

Kenoe knows stars when he sees them — and how to align them. They’ve since drifted into opposing orbits, but on Saturday, the rest of us get front-row seats to the much-anticipated collision.

This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 6:00 AM.