Son of Duke basketball champ lands prestigious award
Christopher Columbus (Fla.) power forward Cameron Boozer is the 2023 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. The prime Duke basketball recruiting target became only the second sophomore in history to receive the prestigious award (the other was Emoni Bates in 2020).
Boozer, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound versatile five-star who ranks No. 1 in the 2025 class and is the son of 2001 Duke national champ Carlos Boozer, doesn't turn 16 until July. Even so, while starring alongside twin brother Cayden, who also holds an offer from the Blue Devils, he led his team to a 26-4 record and Florida's Class 7A state title.
Former winner Kevin Love, now with the Miami Heat, surprised Boozer and his family, including his dad, with the award on Wednesday.
"I was definitely surprised," Boozer told Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek. "We were told we were getting measured for [state championship] rings, and then Kevin Love just walked in with the trophy, so the whole thing was kind of crazy."
Not only did Cameron Boozer average 21.1 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.0 blocks this season, but he did so while maintaining a reported 4.81 GPA.
Since the award's inception in 1986, only three eventual Duke basketball talents have become the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. However, all three have been in the past 11 years: Jabari Parker in 2012 (as a junior), Jayson Tatum in 2016, and RJ Barrett in 2018.
There's no guarantee that Cameron or Cayden Boozer, a four-star combo guard, will choose to play for the Blue Devils. But they are two of only three current sophomores who have landed an offer from Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer; the other is Montverde (Fla.) small forward Cooper Flagg, a five-star who ranks No. 2 in the class.
And it's worth noting that Cameron Boozer was named after Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country for more Duke basketball recruiting updates.