Prime 2025 Duke Basketball Target Enjoys Massive Stock Boost

The Duke basketball roster still has a chance to include Braydon Hawthorne, a Huntington Prep School (W.Va.) standout senior whose final ranking in the eyes of 247Sports caps off an impressive climb among his peers.

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Hawthorne skyrocketed 38 spots this week to No. 33 overall in the 2025 247Sports Rankings. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound small forward, a smooth bucket-getter and facilitator boasting top-shelf length, now sits No. 10 at his position and among the 20 highest-ranked four-star talents in the cycle.

Just five months ago, Hawthorne sat at No. 304 overall.

Since backing out of his pledge to West Virginia in March, Braydon Hawthorne has visited Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Pitt, and Duke while garnering interest from several other programs.

His trip to Durham to check out Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils wrapped up almost a week ago and hasn't yielded an announced commitment. However, that visit still marks the most recent in Hawthorne's recruitment.

Had a great official visit at Duke University! #gobluedevils?? pic.twitter.com/2dSTfC1pI8
— Braydon Hawthorne (@BraydonH20) May 6, 2025

Meanwhile, Duke basketball still has a few roster spots to fill for what will be Scheyer's fourth season at the helm. The 2025-26 Blue Devil roster includes three incoming freshmen in composite five-star preps Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, and Nikolas Khamenia.

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