2 Duke Basketball Signees Advance Another Step Toward Top Prep Honor

Three of the past eight Naismith High School Player of the Year Trophy recipients have gone on to suit up for the Duke basketball program.

Jan 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer directs his team during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

On Thursday afternoon, the Naismith Awards revealed the 10 semifinalists for its annual Boys' High School Player of the Year Trophy. And a pair of 2026 Duke basketball recruiting prizes survived the cut: St. Mary's Catholic High School (Ariz.) five-star power forward Cameron Williams and Blair Academy (N.J.) five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr.

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No other program boasts more than one of the remaining contenders for the prestigious hardware.

Introducing our @jerseymikes Naismith Boys’ High School Player of the Year Semifinalists! pic.twitter.com/xviBekshfs

— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) February 12, 2026

The other eight semifinalists, all of which are also senior preps, are St. John Bosco (Calif.) forward Christian Collins (undecided), Inglewood (Calif.) guard Jason Crowe Jr. (Missouri), Columbus (Fla.) forward Caleb Gaskins (Miami), Prolific Prep (Fla.) wing Caleb Holt (undecided), Overtime Elite (Ga.) guard Taylen Kinney (Kansas), Wheeler (Ga.) forward Colben Landrew (UConn), Paul VI (Va.) guard Jordan Smith Jr. (undecided), and Rainier Beach (Wash.) forward Tyran Stokes (undecided).

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Cameron Williams, No. 2 overall and No. 1 at his position on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, and Deron Rippey Jr., checking in at No. 10 overall and No. 1 among point guards in the cycle, account for half of Jon Scheyer & Co.'s top-ranked Duke basketball recruiting class. The other two members of the heralded haul are Heritage High School (Texas) five-star small forward Bryson Howard (No. 12 composite ranking) and IMG Academy (Fla.) four-star center Maxime Meyer (No. 106 overall).

Past Duke Basketball Winners of the Award

Since the Naismith Boys' High School of the Year Trophy's inception in 1987, the award has ended up in the hands of an eventual Blue Devil five times, including twice in the past four years (both coming in the Jon Scheyer era):

• 2024 - Montverde Academy (Fla.) forward Cooper Flagg

• 2022 - Montverde Academy (Fla.) forward Dariq Whitehead

• 2018 - Montverde Academy (Fla.) guard RJ Barrett

• 2011 - Winter Park High School (Fla.) guard Austin Rivers

• 1997 - Detroit Country Day School (Mich.) forward Shane Battier

Apr 4, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks with forward Cooper Flagg (2) during a practice session for the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

In recent years, the Naismith selection committee has announced the five finalists for the award in late February before ultimately naming the winner at some point in early March.

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