The Duke basketball program kicked off its 2025-26 campaign with a dominant 96-71 charity exhibition win over Johnny Dawkins and UCF at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke 5-star rookie Nik Khamenia put together a solid performance in his first action in a Blue Devil uniform, and he's confident that the team will go far once the postseason rolls around. The Blue Devils were dominant on the glass, out-rebounding UCF 18-10 on the offensive boards that led to 22 second chance points for Duke compared to seven for the Knights. Most insiders around the country are talking about Cameron Boozer's elite 33-point, 12-rebound performance in his debut, but Khamenia will also be one of the Blue Devils' biggest factors this season
Nik Khamenia says Duke basketball has "the best players" and it makes them all better as a result
Khamenia wrapped up his Blue Devil debut with 14 points, eight rebounds, a block, and a steal on 2-of-8 (25%) shooting from the field and 1-of-5 (20%) shooting from three-point range. Despite the lack of efficiency, Khamenia is one of Duke's best outside shooters and one of the program's most versatile defenders at 6'8". After the victory, Khamenia told reporters why he's gotten so much better since his time in Durham.
"We got the best players," Khamenia said. "We all come to Duke to get better. We know not every day is going to be easy. Competing against these guys has only made me better. Coming in my first day to now, I've improved, and it's thanks to these guys. Obviously, playing with better players helps you get better."
The top-15 2025 recruit is in contention to be the starting small forward for the Blue Devils once the regular season begins. Fellow 5-star freshman Dame Sarr, who seemed to be in the lead for the starting three role, sat out in the exhibition due to an oblique injury.
Khamenia competed with Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Championships this summer, and was one of the most impactful players on the roster. The wing can handle the ball while initiating the offense in transition and is one of the best defenders this team has. Whether he starts or not, he'll be playing serious minutes from the jump for Jon Scheyer.