Two of the last three winners of the prep trophy have received Duke basketball recruiting rewards.
Cameron Boozer, a five-star prospect and potential Duke basketball player, is one of five finalists for the Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year award.
The other four finalists are five-star big AJ Dybantsa (BYU), five-star guard Darryn Peterson (Kansas), five-star guard Darius Acuff (Arkansas), and five-star forward Nate Ament (a key Duke target who is nearing a decision), the Naismith Awards revealed on Thursday afternoon.
Since its debut in 1987, five Duke basketball players have received the award: Shane Battier (1997), Austin Rivers (2011), RJ Barrett (2019), Dariq Whitehead (2022), and Cooper Flagg (2024).
Cameron Boozer looks to have a genuine chance of becoming the sixth. The Blue Devils would become the first prep program to win two Naismith awards in a row.
Boozer ranks second overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound son of 2001 Blue Devil national champion Carlos Boozer leads the top-ranked Columbus Explorers (24-3) with his twin and fellow Duke basketball signee, five-star player Cayden Boozer.
Down to the final 5️⃣❗️
Our @jerseymikes Naismith Boys’ High School POY Finalists are out NOW🏆
Click the 🔗 in bio to learn more! #JerseyMikesNaismith2025 pic.twitter.com/b4W5cpSAsa
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) February 20, 2025
Nik Khamenia of Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) and Shelton Henderson of Bellaire (Texas) are also among Duke’s top five-star recruits for 2025.
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