Why Homesickness Cannot Reach Duke Basketball Rookie From LA

Home is where the heart is. And for Los Angeles native Nik Khamenia, the Duke basketball freshman forward's undeniable passion this week as a starter in the squad's exhibition debut suggests his heart arrived in Durham months ago, pretty much ready-made to be a Blue Devil.

That fit has the 18-year-old Khamenia feeling right at home, still over a week before the preseason No. 6-ranked Blue Devils tip off their official campaign. Moreover, it sounds like guidance from his hoops-loving parents, who headed to America from Belarus when they were about his age, ensured the McDonald's All-American's smooth adjustment, on and off the court, to his 2,500-mile move.

"You know, my parents being from Belarus, they came to the country to attend college and play basketball," Khamenia noted to Duke Blue Devils On SI after tallying an aggressive-minded 14 points, eight rebounds, one steal, and one block across his team-high 32 minutes on the floor in Tuesday night's 96-71 exhibition win over the UCF Knights in Duke's famed Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"So, for me going across the country — same country, just different state, chasing my dream — I'm not really homesick just because I have goals in mind and things I want to achieve. And I know my parents have my back."

Nik Khamenia's Individual Duke Basketball Gains

Khamenia, a proven sharpshooter on the high school scene but knocked down only one of his five 3-point attempts versus UCF, also explained to Duke Blue Devils On SI in the locker room afterward that he's packed on 15 pounds since the summer, largely coming via the Duke basketball weight room.

And as Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer pointed out in his postgame press conference, Khamenia's dedication to improving and winning has come as no surprise to the Blue Devil staff.

"That was the thing recruiting Nik: the guys that have been the most successful here have been the best competitors, and we watched him in high school, and we felt there wasn't a better competitor in the country," Scheyer said about Khamenia, who hails from the same Harvard-Westlake School that produced recent gritty Duke basketball alum Spencer Hubbard.

Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Nikolas Khamenia (14) is introduced during player introductions at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"And Nik has lived up to that. He's fearless. He has a way of just cleaning things up on both ends. He gets loose balls. He makes connecting plays, passing, getting guys open. He didn't shoot as well tonight; he's going to knock down shots...And you talk about versatility, his size allows him to guard, really, one through five as well, and that's a big thing for our team."

The 6-foot-8, now-230-pound Nik Khamenia and Scheyer's fourth Blue Devil collection as the program's leader will encounter their final tuneup of the preseason when they face the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers in their exhibition bout in Knoxville's Food City Arena at 7 p.m. ET Sunday (ESPN2).

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