Duke makes major addition to basketball roster with international player
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje announced he is joining Duke’s 2026-27 roster.
- Boumtje Boumtje, a 7-foot center, played in Barcelona’s youth program scoring 16.2 ppg.
- He chose Duke over North Carolina and will join a class already rated nation’s best.
Duke has made a major addition to its basketball roster for 2026-27, beating out its major rival to get him.
The Blue Devils have received a commitment from 7-foot center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje of Spain, who announced Thursday on social media he was joining the Duke program.
Boumtje Boumtje, who is 16, picked the Devils over North Carolina and several other programs, according to several recruiting sites. The 5-star international recruit played last season in the FC Barcelona youth development program, averaging 16.2 points and 6.5 rebounds for Barga Liga U.
Boumtje Boumtje’s father, Ruben, played briefly in the NBA with Portland in the early 2000’s after college ball at Georgetown. Because of his age, Joaquim will need to play a couple of years of college basketball before becoming age-eligible for the NBA.
Boumtje Boumtje is following in the path of Duke’s Dame Sarr, who made the move from Barcelona FC and the Spanish pro leagues to the Blue Devils this past season.
He’ll join a recruiting class already rated the nation’s best that includes 5-star signees Deron Rippey Jr., Cameron Williams and Bryson Howard.
Boumtje Boumtje grabbed attention when he starred in the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2026 tournament qualifier in March, and was named MVP.
