Son of Arizona Legend Says Duke Basketball Is Prioritizing Him

It sounds like the Duke basketball recruiting team is getting to know five-star guard Alijah Arenas.

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer / Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Before becoming a three-time All-Star across his 11-year NBA career, Gilbert Arenas was the leading scorer and star guard for the 2000-01 Arizona squad that lost to the Blue Devils in the 2001 national title game. And the number of unflattering remarks Arenas has made over the years about Duke basketball treasure Mike Krzyzewski and the program in Durham is too high to count.

ALSO READ: Where Duke Recruiters Stand in Nate Ament Sweepstakes

But prior to last season's home loss to Arizona, Krzyzewski successor Jon Scheyer reminded the media that Arizona was one of three finalists in his own recruitment as a prep almost 20 years ago.

Plus, Jon Scheyer isn't Mike Krzyzewski, and Scheyer was just a kid — on hand, coincidentally, at the 2001 Final Four in Minneapolis — when Duke handed Arenas a loss in his final college game.

To that same point, Chatsworth High School (Calif.) rising junior Alijah Arenas isn't Gilbert Arenas, and April 2001 was about six years before his birth.

Now, Alijah Arenas ranks No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. So, as is the case with most preps of his stature, it seems Scheyer's staff is interested, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound five-star guard recently confirmed to Pro Insight.

"Kansas, Duke, UCLA, Arizona...those are a few," Arenas said when asked which schools are prioritizing him.

We caught up with top-5 ‘26 Alijah Arenas last week at @3SSBCircuit in Rock Hill, SC, and talked about growing mentally and physically after missing time due to injury, the latest with his recruitment, the @Compton_Magic program, and more (sound 🔊 on). pic.twitter.com/7v1i6LYGb2

— Pro Insight (@_proinsight) July 18, 2024

Interestingly, Duke is the only one of those four he mentioned that doesn't appear on his 17-deep offer sheet, per 247Sports.

Here are Rivals recruiting analyst Jason Jordan's takeaways from watching Arenas shine against other premier preps in grassroots play last week:

"The game comes easy to Arenas...Arenas' ability to get to his spots on the floor and loosen the defense with his stroke is the key to his offensive arsenal. He's deceptively strong on the drive and has great feel and instincts on the offensive end. Chip off the old block as former NBA star Gilbert Arenas' son."

Thus far, no 2026 recruits have reported a Duke basketball offer. However, there's now a long list of top-shelf talents who are hearing from the Blue Devils.

Evidently, that list of potential full-fledged targets includes Alijah Arenas.

More Duke Basketball News

• Top 2026 Prep Lists Duke Among Those He Hears From Most

• Duke Newcomer Looks to Be Nation's Best Defender

• Duke Joins Another Heated 2025 Recruiting Battle

• JJ Redick Adds Fellow Blue Devil Legend to Lakers Staff