Duke Basketball Interest Growing for Budding 2025 Recruit

While Highland (Va.) junior Nate Ament continues scratching the surface of his potential as a 6-foot-8, 200-pound long-limbed wing, the Duke basketball coaches, not to mention other high-major recruiters and national recruiting scouts, are taking notice.

After exhibiting marked improvement for Team Loaded NC U16 in Adidas 3SSB action during the spring and early summer, Ament made noise on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, debuting at No. 28 in late June. He now ranks No. 26 overall and No. 1 in Virginia, with only a few spots separating him and the coveted five-star rating.

Nate Ament showed off his versatility and skill set at the CBG Grassroots Tip-Off ‼️

- 6’7 2025 Wing will turn heads nationally this spring pic.twitter.com/4LeoPdETx5
— Commonwealth Basketball Group (@theCBGLive) April 18, 2023

And judging by his Saturday chat with Rivals' Rob Cassidy, he's nearing an offer from the Blue Devils as he prepares for an unofficial visit to the Duke basketball program beginning Sept. 16. That trip comes one week after he again checks out Virginia, another ACC school that has him on its radar but hasn't officially entered the race.

"With Virginia, I know the guys are closely bonded over there, and I like that," Ament told Cassidy at the Will Barton Elite Camp in Baltimore. "That's important to me in the process. I'm excited to get back down there.

"With Duke, I want to see those same things on my trip. How the players are bonded and how well the players respond to the coaches."

Nate Ament listed the Blue Devils among the four programs he currently hears from most, along with Virginia, Indiana, and LSU. Interestingly, none from that group yet appears on his list of offers, which includes roughly a dozen schools.

Duke basketball's reported 2025 wishlist consists of seven names, all undecided in their recruitments: five-star guards Meleek Thomas, Jalen Haralson, and Cayden Boozer; four-star guard Brayden Burries; five-star forwards Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson; and unrated NBA Academy Africa center Khaman Maluach.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.