It wasn't exactly a state secret that Jon Scheyer and Duke coveted 5-star AJ Williams in the 2028 class as much as any current high school prospect. The Blue Devils have been recruiting him for a while now, and Williams was one of just two 2028 prospects to hold firm offers from Scheyer.
But this week, Williams elected to reclassify into the 2027 class. He's now Duke's top target in the 2027 cycle, where he remains a 5-star, can't-miss prospect. Williams' decision opened the door for another player in 2028 to leap into that No. 1 spot.
That player just happens to be the only prospect with a Duke offer in 2028.
5-star Colton Hiller, a 6-foot-6 wing/forward out of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, is the new No. 1-ranked recruit in the composite for 2028.
Duke target Colton Hiller rises to the No. 1 ranking for 2028 recruiting class
Hiller is one of the top players in high school basketball regardless of classification. He has an advanced offensive game that has drawn comparisons to former Duke National Player of the Year and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. He isn't quite the athlete Flagg is/was, however, but he does have an advanced shooting touch beyond where Flagg was at the same time in his development.
Hiller holds a ton of offers and will have his pick of the litter in terms of where he wants to play college basketball. Duke is viewed by most as the early favorite, and Scheyer has rarely lost recruiting battles when he makes a player his top priority.
But Florida should be viewed as a potential threat down the road, though Todd Golden's Gators have yet to make much of a push for Hiller. His older brother Maxwell is a 5-star offensive line prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, and he's currently committed to play college football for Jon Sumrall and Florida in the Swamp.
The allure of joining his brother in Gainesville could loom large, particularly with how elite a program Golden has turned Florida into in recent seasons.
That may not play a huge role, however, as Hiller is a likely one-and-done college player who isn't going to be on a campus too awful long before making the leap to the NBA, assuming his current trajectory holds as he continues to develop.
Scheyer will put the full-court press on Hiller when focus shifts to the 2028 class, and it'll be interesting to see who else grabs his attention over the next year now that Williams has moved up into the 2027 cycle.
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