Julius Avent appears to be a name to remember as Duke basketball prepares for its 2026 season.
AAU play is picking up. And while the Duke basketball recruiting team is primarily focused on filling a few more 2024-25 roster openings via the transfer portal, Jon Scheyer & Co. will eventually shift their attention to gearing up for another June 15 phone-a-thon — the annual first day that college coaches can call, email, text, and direct message rising high school juniors — not to mention increasing their efforts to land their first commitment from the current crop of rising seniors.
Thus far, no 2026 talents have reported offers from Jon Scheyer and his staff. That wasn’t the case at this juncture in the 2025 cycle; no, the Boozer twins and Cooper Flagg, now a 2024 signee after reclassifying in the fall before pledging allegiance to the Blue Devils, had already been offer-holding Duke targets for roughly a year.
We spoke with ‘26 Julius Avent last weekend at @madehoops in NJ and talked about his family’s rich 🏀 history, how he describes his own game, some of his goals for the summer, the latest with his recruitment, which programs he’d love to see get involved, and more (sound 🔊 on). pic.twitter.com/b6bKGUU1xH
— Pro Insight (@_proinsight) April 21, 2024
However, a few top 2026 prospects have expressed strong interest in the team in Durham.
Meanwhile, several others have expressed the desire to land on the Duke basketball radar. Now, add one more to that list: Bergen Catholic (N.J.) forward Julius Avent is the son of Anthony Avent Sr., a former Seton Hall star forward and 1990s NBA journeyman.
“I like big ACC schools [and others],” Avent, already boasting a few Power 6 offers, recently noted to Pro Insight, “like Kentucky, Duke. Kansas and UConn, just like blueblood schools…”
FINAL (16U)@PSACardinals 54@WVGoldHoops 49
‘26 Julius Avent (📷) showcased his downhill attacking throughout the game, getting to the line often as ‘26s Hassan Koureissi, Jasiah Jervis + Darius Ratcliff flashed in supportive roles.
‘26s Eli Sancomb + Zyon Hawthorne led WV pic.twitter.com/6RHeoOiRU1
— ELITE High School Scouting (@EliteHSscouting) April 20, 2024
The 6-foot-7, 175-pound four-star ranks No. 53 among his 2026 classmates in the eyes of On3. However, if his double-digit sophomore scoring average for renowned prep Bergen Catholic is any indicator of how he’ll perform against elite opposition over the spring and summer for PSA Cardinals (N.Y.) in Nike EYBL action, odds are the attack-minded wing’s stock will soon rise.
Julius Avent appears to be committed to achieving his dream of playing in the NBA, as he told Pro Insight what he’s learned from his father in that regard:
“How hard it is to get to the NBA and how much work you have to put in.”
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