Nicholas Khamenei has committed to Duke’s 2025 recruiting class

Top-35 Senior Nicolas Khamenea announced his commitment to Duke on Tuesday, delaying the Blue Devils overtaking UCLA for his commitment.

Khamenea is Duke’s third significant commitment in the past two weeks, following the decisions of twin brothers Cameron and Kayden Boozer earlier this month.

“Duke is a place that I went to and felt from the moment I left campus that it was special,” Khamenea told ESPN. “Duke is a special place that has produced so many great players and ultimately helped them develop.”

Khamenei developed a strong relationship with Share during his appointment.

“Coach Scheer is a young coach who played at Duke, so he understands both sides of being a player and a coach there,” Khamenea said. “He connects with his players on a personal level and knows how to help them grow and improve.”

A 6-foot-8 forward at Harvard-Westlake (Calif.), Khamenei turned heads at the recent USA Basketball Junior National Team minicamp, leading NBA scouts to tell ESPN’s Jonathan Givney that they consider Khamenei a one-and-done prospect.

He represented USA Basketball at the FIBA ​​U18 AmeriCup over the summer, starting all six games and helping the team to the gold medal. Khamenei averaged 7.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists during the event.

Khamenei possesses the offensive skills and basketball IQ of anyone in the class. His offensive versatility and shooting touch from different ranges make him difficult to guard. He uses jab steps, shot fakes and pass fakes and has strong shot-on-the-move ability. He handles the ball effectively on the offensive glass, cutting, screening and attacking without.

“Nick is an incredible young man who has grown and developed every year,” Harvard-Westlake coach Dave Rebibo said. “He has a blue-collar approach to basketball while having an abundance of skill, vision, IQ and tenacity. He is the ultimate winner.”

Duke is now the only program in the nation with three top-35 commitments in the 2025 class.

“Boozers are ultimately winners, and they’re like-minded to me,” Khamenea said of his fellow Duke recruits. “I’ve spoken to them a bit and played against them. I have a lot of respect for them as players and people.”