Duke Basketball Watches Key Recruits on AAU Circuit

While the Duke Blue Devils won't hit the court for another few months and with the focus being on this upcoming season, the future of the program is also important.

Jon Scheyer and his staff have done a fantastic job over the years landing top recruiting classes. That includes the 2026 class which is ranked No. 1 overall going into this season. 

But the Blue Devils are looking to keep that going with the 2027 and 2028 classes. 

For Scheyer and his staff, Duke are already on the recruiting trail as the AAU circuit heats up this Summer.  On Thursday, Duke was in Las Vegas for the Nike EYBL event and they were taking in a matchup of top prospects in the 2027 class, with one of those prospects committed to Duke. 

Per Matt Giles, Scheyer was courtside to watch Kager Knueppel and Team Herro face off against Beckham Black and AB Elite:

Team Herro took the win 52-51 in a nail-bitter, going on a 9-0 run to close out the game for the win. Knueppel finished with five points while Black finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds and six assists.

Knueppel committed to Duke in June, following the path of his brother Kon who spent one season with the Blue Devils before heading to the NBA. He's continuing the Knueppel legacy at Duke with potentially more to follow. Since committing to Duke, he has seen his stock climb, moving into the top 20 as a prospect. 

That was thanks in part to a big Spring session on the AAU circuit. Now, he's looking to get that ranking even higher with the Summer AAU session.

For Black, the guard is ranked as the top overall player in the 2027 class. He has 24 offers in his recruitment with several top programs already after him.

While there is no presumed favorite just yet, the team to beat could be the Arkansas Razorbacks due to his brother Anthony Black playing there. His recruitment will be one to watch as well going into this Summer and if he plays like this, he could be the next big star.