Five-star forward Nate Ament, the highest-rated uncommitted player in the 2025 recruiting class, has formally committed to Duke University. The 6’9″ forward from Wilmington, Delaware, announced his highly anticipated decision following months of speculation and strong recruiting by some of the country’s finest teams.
Ament, noted for his great scoring skills, flexibility, and high basketball IQ, is one of the most sought-after players in his class. His choice to join the Blue Devils is a huge success for Coach Jon Scheyer and the Duke program, as Ament is anticipated to make an instant impact given his stature, ability, and agility. His pledge confirms Duke’s reputation as a collegiate basketball recruiting juggernaut, having already collected a top-tier 2025 class.
Over the last year, Ament’s recruiting has sparked interest from prominent institutions such as Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina. However, the Blue Devils were able to get his signature, with Ament noting the great coaching staff, winning culture, and desire to contribute to Duke’s success as major factors in his selection.
“I’ve always admired Duke’s tradition and the way they develop players both on and off the court,” Ament said in his statement. “I’m excited to be a part of something special and to help bring a national championship back to Durham.”
Ament’s pledge provides a significant momentum boost for Duke as they continue to develop their program for the future. With Ament joining the Blue Devils’ roster, supporters are excited to see how he fits in with other top prospects and whether he can help Duke return to the top of collegiate basketball when he arrives in 2025.
Duke Basketball confronts old Blue Devil on Virginia bench.
TJ Power, a one-year Duke basketball player, is generating season figures comparable to his brief stint with the Blue Devils.
Duke basketball (22-3, 14-1 ACC) plays its first of three straight road games against the Virginia Cavaliers (13-12, 6-8 ACC) at 8 p.m. ET Monday (ESPN). TJ Power has never sat on a bench opposite Jon Scheyer and his crew before.
Speaking of Virginia’s bench, the 6-foot-9 Power has been there since early February. Following his 2023-24 Duke rookie season, he watched his minutes steadily fall to zero after his third zero-point outing in a row — his tenth in 21 Cavalier appearances, including five early starts.
Power is averaging 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds for Virginia in 10.4 minutes per game, shooting 20.9 percent from the field, 18.8 percent from three, and 8-for-8 from the charity line.
As a Blue Devil, the former composite five-star prep from Worcester Academy (Mass.) came off the bench in 26 games, averaging 2.1 points and 0.7 rebounds in 7.0 minutes per game while shooting 33.3 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 6-for-7 at the free throw line.
The 2024-25 Blue Devils are 2-1 in ACC games against three of the seven transfers from Duke’s 2023-24 basketball lineup. Most recently, two games after losing on the road to Clemson and Christian Reeves, Scheyer’s team trounced Stanford and Jaylen Blakes 106-70 on Saturday.
ESPN’s newest NBA mock draft has three Duke basketball players among the top seven.
Head coach Jon Scheyer recruited four five-star players in the Class of 2024, headlined by prodigy Cooper Flagg, and the Blue Devils have started three rookies this season
Flagg, whom ESPN’s Jonathan Givony named the best player in the country on Wednesday, has scored at least 20 points in 12 of his 23 collegiate games and improved as a 3-point shooter and offensive facilitator since December 31.
Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, the other first-year starters, have showed signs of being potential superstars in their own way. Knueppel is averaging 15.2 points over his previous 12 games despite not scoring against Boston College, a scoring rate that would increase to 16.5 points without that game, while Maluach posted back-to-back double-doubles against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes last month.
Givony and Jeremy Woo produced a new NBA mock draft on Wednesday morning, and all three aforementioned freshmen were off the board by the seventh pick. See where they (and three other colleagues) ended up below.
2024-25 statistics: 19.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks, 47.9% FG, 36.4% 3PT.
Flagg, the most dynamic player in the country, distinguishes himself from other prospects regarded as generational talents by his ability to become whatever Duke need in a given game. He’s set an ACC rookie record with 42 points in a single game, taken only seven shots in a conference away game owing to increased defensive attention, and handed out four assists in the opening five minutes of a rivalry game against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
2024-25 statistics: 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 72.4% FG
Maluach, who is 7 feet 2 inches tall and with a wingspan of 7 feet 5, has been one of the nation’s top rim protectors since the beginning. On offense, he is effective with the ball in his hands, frequently scoring with one or two dribbles, and his lateral quickness allows him to transition out to the perimeter with ease.
2024-25 statistics: 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 42.1% FG, 39.6% 3PT.
Each Duke squad need an experienced starter to show up in critical occasions, and Proctor has settled into that role nicely. He nailed two huge 3-pointers in the December win against the Auburn Tigers, including one near the halfcourt line at the end of the shot clock, and he scored 16 points before halftime to keep the Blue Devils in the game against the Clemson Tigers.
2024-25 statistics: 7.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 51.2% FG, 37.5% 3PT.
James, to use a cliché, is your favorite basketball player’s favorite basketball player. He’s a Swiss Army knife for head coach Jon Scheyer, as seen by his statistics. He grabbed 11 boards against Virginia Tech, eight assists against SMU, and 13 points in two straight games against NC State and the Tar Heels.
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