Duke basketball cemented its hold on the nation’s top recruiting slot when five-star committed to play for the Blue Devils next season. He is a 6-6, 220-pound small forward from Bellaire, Texas, announced his recruiting decision in a live video feed on YouTube. He chose Duke over his two other choices, Texas and Louisville, citing Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer and assistant head coach Jai Lucas as the difference. Lucas also played high school basketball in Bellaire, a Houston suburb. “Coach Scheyer believed in me,” Henderson explained. “I sincerely thank him and coach Jai Lucas. He’s from here and attended the same high school. So, we already have that link. I greatly appreciate them.
They see me coming in and making an impression as a freshman. That is what I want to do.
Henderson paid an official visit to Duke on the weekend of September 27 and returned the next Friday night to attend the program’s Countdown to Craziness event at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He is regarded as a playmaking forward capable of scoring on jump shots or driving to the basket. Henderson, ranked a five-star recruit and the No. 15 player in the nation by 247sports.com, is the fourth member of Duke’s 2025 recruiting class, with three other five-star prospects.
Cameron Boozer, the class’s No. 2 power forward at 6-9, 225 pounds, committed last month alongside his twin brother, 6-4 point guard Cayden Boozer. The kids of former Duke big man Carlos Boozer are both five-star athletes, with Cayden ranked No. 21 in the 2025 class. Henderson competed for the Boozers in international play in Argentina last summer. “We already have that connection,” Henderson added. “I already know the Boozers are easy to play with. They improve everyone around them. So just being near them will help me get well. So I’m really excited to get out there and work with them.
Last month, Duke also secured a commitment from 6-8 power forward Nikolas Khamenia, a four-star recruit from Harvard Westlake High School in Los Angeles. Khamenia, who committed to Duke last month, is ranked as the No. 19 player in the class. Even before Henderson’s commitment, 247sports.com ranked Duke as the best recruiting class, followed by UConn, Notre Dame, LSU, and Iowa State. With Duke’s current season beginning on Monday night with a game against Maine, it is expected that the Blue Devils will lose three freshmen from this group: Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maulach. All three are predicted to be first-round picks in the NBA Draft next summer.
In addition, transfers Sion James and Mason Gillis, who joined Duke this season, are in their final seasons of eligibility. Tyrese Proctor, a junior, and Caleb Foster, a sophomore, could both go for the NBA if they have successful seasons. Duke is still in the running to recruit another five-star prospect, 6-9 power forward Nate Ament of northern Virginia, who is ranked fourth in the class. Scheyer went to Ament on Monday night. Ament has made two unofficial trips to Duke while also conducting formal visits to Texas and Louisville, with a Notre Dame trip planned for November 9.
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