Two Potential Duke Basketball Commits Battling for Top Ranking

The separation between Duke basketball's top two 2025 targets in the rankings is infinitesimal.

According to MADE Hoops' Travis Graf, Montverde (Fla.) small forward Cooper Flagg, No. 2 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, heard from the Duke basketball staff on Thursday, the first day that college coaches were permitted to contact rising high school juniors. More than a dozen others reached out to the Maine native that day.

There have been no reports this week of the Blue Devils — or anyone else, for that matter — hitting up the phone of Christopher Columbus (Fla.) power forward Cameron Boozer, No. 1 in the class. But that's likely due to his recruitment being more hush-hush in general.

Flagg and Boozer play well beyond their years, putting up ridiculous stat lines almost every time they touch the court. They've held offers from Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer since May 2022 while consistently looking like the nation's clear-cut top two 2025 prospects (some would argue the top two preps, regardless of class).

So the only question is, which one deserves the No. 1 ranking more?

For now, as the composite rankings reflect, ESPN, 247Sports, On3, and Rivals all have Boozer at No. 1 and Flagg at No. 2.

However, Rivals, set to update its 2025 ranking next week, could become the first of the four major scouting platforms to give Flagg the edge over Boozer. The site's leading insider, Rob Cassidy, expressed genuine indecision as part of a roundtable debate with Jason Jordan on Friday:

"I recently had a younger NBA front office member tell me [Cooper Flagg] was 'the best he's ever seen' as a high school prospect. It's hard to argue with such a take when you consider the 6-foot-8 Flagg's well-rounded skill set and complete versatility. Meanwhile, Cameron Boozer is the more battle-tested, physical and consistent option. Boozer is the safe bet for now, but I'm not certain he's the best long-term wager. I've got a few days to decide where I stand, and I plan to take all the time I can before staking out a position on the debate."

Cooper Flagg went off for 52Pts, is he the best player in the Country? pic.twitter.com/yK2NkrHwKc

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 22, 2023

Jordan seems slightly less conflicted, although he recognizes that Flagg's averages on this year's Nike EYBL E16 circuit are no less impressive than Boozer's. He ultimately believes Boozer is more deserving than Flagg, though, at least until they have a chance to square off against each other again:

"For me, it goes back to last year when I watched them match up at Peach Jam. In that game, Boozer won the matchup hands down. Takes nothing away from Flagg, but it was what it was that day. Naturally, the comeback is that it's been a year and the needle had to have moved somehow since then...Given that they've been up to their old dominant selves since, my logical nod would have to go to Boozer."

Cameron Boozer almost just put Cooper Flagg on a poster on an off-the-glass feed from his brother Cayden.

I would have lost my mind… still got the dunk though. pic.twitter.com/nPQPZKthF4

— Joe Doerrer (@jd3hoops) July 22, 2022

The Rivals FutureCast for Cooper Flagg contains two picks, including one from Cassidy; both see the Blue Devils prevailing for the admitted long-time Duke fan. On the other hand, the 247Sports Crystal Ball remains empty.

As for Cameron Boozer, the son of Duke basketball great Carlos Boozer and the twin brother of a fellow 2025 Blue Devil target in four-star combo guard Cayden Boozer, no national recruiting insiders have entered predictions for his race.

RELATED: Duke Staff Reaches Out to Another Top-Three 2025 Recruit

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting news.