Future Duke Basketball Big Man in Televised Showdown

A prestigious prep showcase in Springfield, Mass., includes early Duke basketball pledge Maxime Meyer.

Oct 15, 2021; Durham, NC, USA; A general view of the court prior to Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

At 5:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBA TV (also streaming on the NBA App and NBA.com), the IMG Academy (Fla.) Ascenders and their 2026 Duke basketball signee, four-star center Maxime Meyer, square off against the Archbishop Stepinac High School (N.Y.) Crusaders for each team's lone appearance in this week's Panini Hoophall Classic at Springfield College in Massachusetts.

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The Ascenders (13-5) stack up at No. 4 on MaxPreps' ranking of the nation's prep academies. Meanwhile, Archbishop Stepinac (10-4) sits at No. 10 among public high school teams in the country, per MaxPreps.

Boasting a 7-foot-3 wingspan, the 7-foot-1, 215-pound Meyer ranks No. 102 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. He committed to the Blue Devils on Oct. 30, less than two weeks after he toured the Duke basketball facilities on an official visit.

Frontcourt just got stronger 💪

Welcome to The Brotherhood, Maxime Meyer! 👿✍️ pic.twitter.com/4QoMQNEKsz

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 20, 2025

"Max is one of the premier rim protectors in the country, can run the floor, and has greaat passing instincts," fourth-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer said about the 18-year-old Toronto native. "What excites us most is that he's still getting better...and quickly. Max embraces winning, and we're fired up to get him on campus. He's a big-time addition to The Brotherhood."

Worth Watching Ahead of Duke Basketball Bout at Stanford

For those supporters who prefer to warm up for Duke basketball games by viewing program-related content, well, the tipoff time for Maxime Meyer and his IMG teammates provides such folks an opportunity. Their test versus the Crusaders begins about 30 minutes before Jon Scheyer and his No. 6-ranked Blue Devils (16-1, 5-0 ACC) get underway with their road outing against the unranked Stanford Cardinal (14-4, 3-2 ACC) in Maples Pavilion at 6 p.m. ET Saturday (ACC Network).

Dec 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer coaches against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Meyer was one of three 2026 Duke commits who made their college decisions official during the early signing period back in November. The other two are Heritage High School (Texas) five-star small forward Bryson Howard and St. Mary's Catholic High School (Ariz.) five-star power forward Cameron Williams.

Maxime Meyer doesn’t get the hype of the other guys in Duke’s class, but he’s a really intriguing prospect. Feels like the type who wins you over fast once you watch him play. Gonna surprise a lot of people.@slipthescreen pic.twitter.com/5dr0gXIAbN

— Blue Devil Voices (@DukeEchoes) January 3, 2026

And in late December, Scheyer and his crew, now well on their way to finishing with yet another top-ranked recruiting haul, added the commitment of Blair Academy (N.J.) five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., whose Bucs played the TMI Episcopal (Texas) Panthers at the Panini Hoophall Classic on Saturday morning.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.

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