When you are a traditional power on the hardwood like the Duke Blue Devils are, it is not all that difficult to convince top players to come play at your school. However, transitions are hard, and Duke had to navigate a massive one not that long ago. Although Jon Scheyer was hand-selected to replace his mentor Mike Krzyzewski on the sidelines, he had to win in recruitment in his own right.
Fortunately for Duke fans everywhere, Scheyer has proven to be quite adept at recruitment throughout his ascension from top-flight assistant to head coach. Now that he is entering year five in charge of Duke, let's take a look at some of the best recruits to ever play for Scheyer at Duke from 2022 through the 2025-26 college basketball season. Some are obvious, while others mean more.
Let's start with the first big name to put his trust and faith into Scheyer during this transitional period.
5. Kyle Filipowski: 2022 5-star PF (Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Wilbraham, MA)
Kyle Filipowski committed to Duke on July 29, 2021. This was ahead of Coach K's final year in charge. While that could have been problematic for other recruits, this was clearly not the case for Filipowski. Scheyer was his primary recruiter to Durham, helping the Blue Devils beat out Indiana, Ohio State, and Syracuse for his five-star services on the hardwood. He spent two years at Duke before the NBA.
During his time in Durham, Filipowski earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2023, a pair of all-conference nods, and a spot on the All-American Second Team. Filipowski ended up being an early second-round pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2024 NBA Draft. He is entering his third season in the league. While other prospects amounted to more, he helped usher in the standard under Scheyer.
Filipowski's excellent career at Duke helped pave the way for other excellent players to follow him.
4. Caleb Foster: 2023 4-star PG (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks, CA)
At this time, Caleb Foster is the only player on this list whose Duke career has not come to a close just yet. The former four-star recruit out of Sherman Oaks, California committed to Duke on Sept. 16, 2021. Teams like Illinois, Louisville, Stanford, and Tennessee were all chomping at the bit to get him. While his primary recruiter was former Duke star Nolan Smith, Foster has thrived playing for Scheyer.
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Foster's willingness to be coached hard and be part of a collective that is greater than himself will help sustain the Duke program for a long time. While it remains to be seen what his playing career becomes professionally, he seems to check the box of high-end guards who see the game differently. It would not be shocking to see him become a head coach one day, like Scheyer or Quin Snyder have.
Few players have helped with the transitional period at Duke for as long as Foster has over in Durham.
3. Cameron Boozer: 2025 5-star PF (Columbus, Miami, FL)
So far, we have talked about Filipowski being a star recruit willing to sign up for a new head coach, as well as Foster embracing a glorified role player designation at Duke. Now, we must talk about the best most recent player to star for Scheyer in Cameron Boozer. To only have him third on this list may be a bit sacrilegious, but there is a method to the madness. Boozer was always coming to play for Duke...
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During his one year at Duke before becoming the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Boozer marveled in every way imaginable. He was arguably the most basketball-savvy player Duke has had since his father Carlos' former Blue Devils teammate Shane Battier. Boozer will not bust in the NBA because of this skill set. Scheyer helped make this player into a star.
With twin brother Cayden still in Durham, Scheyer won big here by making sure legacies will commit.
2. Kon Knueppel: 2024 5 star SF (Wisconsin Lutheran, Milwaukee, WI)
Kon Knueppel comes in at No. 2 for a few reasons. Not only is the former five-star out of Milwaukee doing great things already with the Charlotte Hornets, but his younger brother Kager will be at Duke in no time. Knueppel committed to Duke on Sept. 21, 2023. He picked the Blue Devils over Louisville, Notre Dame, Stanford, and Virginia. He may have been in Cooper Flagg's class, but he shined as well.
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Knueppel was one of those players who simply got better with every minute he played. It became very apparent that this guy was destined for bigger things than the ACC could offer him. He may play for one of the NBA's most dysfunctional franchises, but he is the type of player who will find a way to cut through. If he can live up to being a top-five pick, he has a real shot to become an NBA All-Star.
By shining at Duke for his one season, it helped set up his younger brother in wanting to come here.
1. Cooper Flagg: 2024 5-star SF (Montverde Academy, Montverde, FL)
In the first few years that Scheyer has been in charge of the Duke program, one recruit stands out above the rest. That would be his former five-star forward from the 2024 class in one Cooper Flagg. While he was part of the same recruiting class as Knueppel, Flagg was the prospect everyone and their brother wanted in the 2025 NBA Draft. He ended up going No. 1 overall to the Dallas Mavericks.
Flagg committed to Duke almost three years ago, right before Halloween on Oct. 30, 2023. Duke beat out primarily UConn for his five-star services in that cycle. To wrap this up, let's be real with ourselves. A player of Flagg's caliber was always going to be at the top of one of these lists. For Duke to still end up with him, that speaks volumes. Scheyer beat out Dan Hurley head-to-head for Flagg. That matters.
The more success Flagg has in the NBA leading Dallas, the better it will look for Scheyer over at Duke.
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