Potential UNC Basketball Recruiting Prize Stands Out in Colorado

A fifth star may soon appear beside Nikolas Khamenia's name. The new UNC basketball target, a Harvard-Westlake School (Calif.) rising senior who announced his offer from the Tar Heels on Monday, ranks No. 36 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, up 31 notches from where he sat in October.

And there's reason to believe Khamenia is on the verge of climbing into composite five-star territory, currently limited to the top 24 talents in the class.

Nikolas Khamenia is a winner! He led BTI United to a 5-0 record this past weekend and ranks in the Top-5 for scoring, rebounding, and assists in the league! @PRO16League | @BTIHoops @NikolasKhamenia pic.twitter.com/nBoBREHmZn
— Coach Jauregui (@JeremyJauregui) May 24, 2024

Competing against 27 of his peers at the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this weekend, the 6-foot-8 Khamenia has already landed among the 18 finalists for a spot on the 12-man roster that will travel to Buenos Aires next week for the 2024 FIBA Men's U18 AmeriCup, June 3-9.

In doing so, he's drawn high praise from a couple of widely respected national scouts in ESPN's Jonathan Givony and 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein.

Givony noted in a post that he's witnessed recent signs pointing to the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Khamenia's emergence:

"Nik Khamenia has been one of the best players at the USA Basketball U18 training camp so far. En route to 6'9. Tough, smart, skilled wing who makes shots and plays both ends of the floor. Has impressed every time I've seen him the past few months."

Finkelstein echoed the above assessment, suggesting that unselfish play has been Khamenia's calling card in Colorado:

"In a gym full of players used to being the primary scoring option, Nikolas Khamenia has stood out as one of the better connectors with his unselfishness, passing, processing, and floor-spacing."

Khamenia is one of 14 players in his class holding a UNC basketball offer. That list consists of 10 five-stars and four four-stars.

ALSO READ: Durham Prep Says Playing for UNC 'Would Be Great'