Duke

Duke basketball stays busy as Jon Scheyer lands another top Blue Devils recruit

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer laughs with associate head coach Chris Carrawell during Duke’s open practice at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 20, 2025.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer laughs with associate head coach Chris Carrawell during Duke’s open practice at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 20, 2025. ehyman@newsobserver.com

Duke basketball’s busy month of roster moves continued Friday with a positive development.

Sebastian Wilkins, a 6-8 forward from Groton, Massachusetts, committed to join the Blue Devils over his other finalist, Maryland.

Wilkins made his announcement via the 247sports YouTube channel in a planned presentation, and also announced he will be reclassifying and joining the Blue Devils to begin the 2025-26 season.

The No. 31 player in the 2026 recruiting class, according to 247sports, Wilkins played at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire last season.

By reclassifying, Wilkins joins an incoming freshman class that includes 6-9 forward Cameron Boozer, his 6-4 twin brother Cayden Boozer (a point guard), 6-11 forward Nik Khamenia plus 6-6 small forward Dame Sarr, who committed to the Blue Devils on Thursday.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer is rebuilding his roster after losing all five starters from last season’s 35-4 team that won the ACC championship and made the Final Four. Three freshmen from that team — national player of the year Cooper Flagg, 7-2 center Khaman Maluach and 6-6 forward Kon Knueppel — are projected as top-10 picks in next month’s NBA Draft. Guard Tyrese Proctor also turned pro after his junior season while 6-6 graduate student Sion James exhausted his NCAA eligibility.

Duke lost no players as transfers and will return 6-6 sophomore small forwards Isaiah Evans and Darren Harris, along with 6-5 junior guard Caleb Foster.

The Blue Devils added two reserve players in the transfer portal in 6-6 guard Jack Scott from Princeton and 6-11 center Iffy Ufochukwu from Rice.

Duke also received a commitment from 6-6 guard Cedric Coward, a transfer from Washington State, but Coward remain in the NBA Draft where he’s expected to be a first-round pick. He has until May 28 to withdraw from the draft but that appears unlikely, which is why the Blue Devils moved to add Sarr.

This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 4:20 PM.

Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer
Steve Wiseman was named Raleigh News & Observer and Durham Herald-Sun sports editor in May 2025. He covered Duke athletics, beginning in 2010, prior to his current assignment. In the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest, he placed in the top 10 in beat writing in 2019, 2021 and 2022, breaking news in 2019, event coverage in 2025 and explanatory writing in 2018. Before coming to Durham in 2010, Steve worked for The State (Columbia, SC), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, S.C.), The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. He’s won numerous state-level press association awards. Steve graduated from Illinois State University in 1989. 
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