Why 'One-and-Done' Label at Duke Is Officially Dead

Over the last myriad of years in college basketball, the Duke Blue Devils have become the program most notable for the term "one-and-done."

The term refers to top-end high school recruits who are bound to spend just one season in college basketball before entering the NBA Draft. Each recruiting class typically features several of them.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) rebounds against the UConn Huskies during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Duke Has Become Home for "One-and-Done" Prospects

Over time, the Blue Devils became the top program in terms of building rotations around these elite young prospects, or "one-and-done" players.

In seven of the last nine seasons, Duke's leading scorer has been a rookie. Throughout Mike Krzyzewski's career at Duke and into Jon Scheyer's tenure, Duke's rotations have revolved around these elite young recruits.

Duke hasn't won a National Championship since 2015, but up until recently, this strategy has worked fairly well.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer stands on the court during a practice session ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Since that national title, the Blue Devils have reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament or further seven times. Still, Duke fans have grown fairly accustomed to seeing the Blue Devils oozing with top talent, only for that talent to leave after one season, and then Duke rebuilds with the next wave of elite talent.

Jayson Tatum, Tyus Jones, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Cooper Flagg, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Jared McCain, Justise Winslow. The list goes on and on. However, the NIL and transfer portal era has put this to a stop, even for a program like Duke.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

NIL Era Is Changing Everything

A couple of years ago, being a sure-fire first-round pick in the NBA Draft made it nearly impossible to justify going back to college basketball, as that would mean leaving millions of dollars on the table. Now, that is no longer the case.

Each season since the NIL era began, the paychecks for these top college players or portal talents have been getting higher and higher. In many cases, that leaves players with much more intriguing decisions to make, as many of their paychecks in college basketball could be higher than what they would make in their first year in the NBA, based on their current draft projection.

As a result, this has changed how the Duke program operates.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Scheyer and his staff, despite landing the No. 1 overall high school recruiting class for the third straight year, built their 2026-27 roster in a different way than what Duke fans are used to.

The Blue Devils returned three starters in Caleb Foster, Patrick Ngongba, and Dame Sarr, while also bringing back rotation guard Cayden Boozer and redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins. Additionally, Scheyer landed veteran portal players in rising senior John Blackwell from Wisconsin and rising junior Drew Scharnowski from Belmont.

Guys like Ngongba and Sarr, before the NIL era, would've had real conversations to have about heading to the NBA this offseason, especially Ngongba, who was a projected first-rounder.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3) dribbles the ball past St. John's Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers (4) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Even a guy like Isaiah Evans, who declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, might not have come back to Duke for a sophomore season before the NIL era of college basketball began.

All of Duke's rookies after the 2024-25 season who departed for the NBA Draft were selected in the top 10 of the 2025 draft. However, a guy like Ngongba or Evans, who were slotted in the mid-to-late first round or even into the second, doesn't have nearly as clear a decision.

The NIL era is reshaping the entire landscape of college basketball, and it could lead to Duke's reputation as the home of "one-and-done" prospects fizzling out.

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