West Coast Recruit Pits Duke Basketball Against UNC in September
![Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer versus UNC Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer versus UNC](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3722,h_2093,x_0,y_135/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/blue_devil_country/01j5ekzkaxg3ky65rn2c.jpg)
As promised this week, Nikolas Khamenia is down to a final five after eliminating over a dozen suitors from contention. Not only did the Duke basketball staff advance to the next stage of the Harvard-Westlake School (Calif.) four-star stretch-four's recruitment on Friday afternoon, but Jon Scheyer and his crew also secured an official visit. And that's despite being relatively new to the race, as the Blue Devils extended an offer in late June.
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In addition to Duke, Khamenia is still considering Arizona, UCLA, Gonzaga, and the Blue Devils' archnemesis, UNC. So, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound versatile talent will either remain on the West Coast next year or play his college ball for one of the rival bluebloods on Tobacco Road.
Adding to the suddenly heightened Duke vs. UNC intrigue in the Nikolas Khamenia sweepstakes, he told League Ready that, for now, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils mark the last two of three official visits currently appearing in ink on his calendar.
Khamenia, No. 27 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, will check out Arizona beginning on Aug. 31 before heading to UNC the first weekend of September and touring the Duke basketball program the following weekend.
His only official visit to date was to Gonzaga last October.
Neither Duke nor UNC has picked up its first pledge in the 2025 recruiting arena.