Duke basketball rookie earns roster spot on US National Team squad
Incoming Duke basketball freshman Nik Khamenia has made the final roster for the USA Basketball U19 National Team. Tryouts for the squad began on June 14th, comprising 33 high school and collegiate-level athletes, before a final roster of 12 was selected to represent the United States this summer.
Khamenia will be competing in the FIBA U19 Men's World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland. The event will run from June 28th to July 6th.
— USABJNT (@usabjnt) June 20, 2025
Although this is a huge accomplishment for Khamenia, this will delay his arrival time to Durham and slightly limit his offseason time with his new teammates and coaches. With summer workouts already having begun for the Blue Devils, the incoming five-star freshman will be a little behind the rest of the roster.
Granted, Khamenia will still be playing high-level basketball overseas, so there's no fear that the wing will get rusty, but losing valuable time with his new teammates, especially with an incoming Duke squad made up of a ton of newcomers, this could be a challenge for Khamenia later on.
Khamenia will definitely see significant minutes as a rookie for Jon Scheyer, but he will be fighting for a starting spot right away, along with several other newcomers for Duke.
Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans will likely be the starting backcourt, but the three spot is wide open for the taking. Between Khamenia, Dame Sarr, Sebastian Wilkins, or potentially even Darren Harris, the offseason will pay dividends in terms of who ends up starting to begin the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Khamenia finished high school as the No. 19 overall recruit and No. 4 small forward in the 247Sports Class of 2025 Composite Rankings. The Studio City, CA native will bring shooting, length, and defense to an already loaded Blue Devils roster for next season.
With such a new roster coming into Durham next season, Scheyer and the rest of his staff will have a lot to figure out through the summer. Especially with the youth that much of the incoming Duke rotation brings, the Blue Devils will be surrounded with question marks opening the season in terms of how quickly the program can be one of the top teams in the nation.
