New UNC Basketball Offer Holder Impresses Again at AmeriCup

UNC basketball target Nikolas Khamenia is an active forward for Team USA, now only two wins shy of a gold medal in Buenos Aires.

UNC basketball recruiting target Nikolas Khamenia / Sam Ballesteros/The Republic / USA TODAY

Harvard-Westlake School (Calif.) rising senior Nikolas Khamenia, who picked up an offer from UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis a few weeks ago and is now one of 14 undecided preps on the Tar Heels' 2025 wishlist, might be in line for a major boost in his ranking. He currently sits at No. 34 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, 11 spots below the lowest-ranked five-star in the class.

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But in light of the deep repertoire that Khamenia has already displayed as a member of a largely five-star USA Basketball U18 roster at this week's FIBA AmeriCup in Buenos Aires, it wouldn't be a surprise if the 6-foot-8, 215-pound stretch-four soon adds a fifth star to his rating.

In Team USA's 98-66 quarterfinal win over Puerto Rico on Friday, Khamenia finished with nine points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and only one turnover in 18 minutes on the floor. He shot 2-for-6 from downtown and 5-for-6 at the foul line.

He’s active❕ @NikolasKhamenia

🇺🇸 #USABMU18 x #U18AmeriCup pic.twitter.com/gNpQJld0eW

— USABJNT (@usabjnt) June 7, 2024

Adding those stats to his production in the squad's 3-0 march through group play, the 17-year-old is averaging 7.3 points, 6.5 boards, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in less than 20 minutes per outing at the event.

Nikolas Khamenia's teammates include two fellow 2025 UNC basketball recruiting targets: Link Academy (Mo.) five-star guard Jasper Johnson, averaging 7.5 points in 13.7 minutes, and Highland School (Va.) five-star forward Nate Ament, putting up 4.8 points in 8.9 minutes per contest.

They're now gearing up for a semifinal battle against Canada at 4:40 p.m. ET Saturday.

If they advance, they'll play for the gold medal at 7:10 p.m. Sunday, facing the winner of Saturday's bout between Argentina and the Dominican Republic.

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