Is it too early to think about basketball season?
Not at Duke.
Sure, the Blue Devils won the 2025 ACC football championship. A new season begins soon. But some of the biggest sports news on campus heading into a new school year might have been about the tallest basketball player now on campus.
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A 17-year-old, 7-foot-2 freshman.
The Blue Devils had the best freshman in the country lead them last season in the double-double machine that was Cameron Boozer. Named the national player of the year, Boozer has taken his game to the NBA.
No worries at Duke. Boozer was special, but Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, a late addition to Duke’s recruiting class, is coming off a monster of a spring and summer and eager to be a part of the Blue Devils’ pursuit of a sixth national championship.
Boumtje Boumtje (pronounced BOOM-chay BOOM-chay) comes to Duke from FC Barcelona in Spain after:
In a recent episode of Duke’s “The Brotherhood Podcast,” sophomore Dame Sarr began by calling Boumtje Boumtje “The Guy.” Nice intro.
Boumtje Boumtje, who goes by the nickname “JoJo,” could have picked a U.S. prep school to attend this year. But Duke was interested, Boumtje Boumtje reclassified, and the Blue Devils now will have him for two years before he’s age-eligible for the 2028 NBA Draft, where some already project him as the potential No. 1 pick.
Boumtje Boumtje told Sarr a “gut feeling” had him choosing Duke, and he created some social-media chatter by adding on the podcast that he couldn’t imagine himself going to, say, North Carolina and realizing he had “missed out” on Duke.
In another interview, Boumtje Boumtje said he surprised Duke coach Jon Scheyer in a phone call his parents made from Spain. Not able to find a Duke cap in Spain, Boumtje Boumtje told @nbafuturenow analyst Krysten Peek that he found a blue cap and had his mom put white “Duke” letters on the front, then wore it on the call for Scheyer to see.
“No promises,” Boumtje Boumtje said in the interview. “I’m going to earn everything I get, but I’m going to go in there to be the best player on the court.”
Duke already had put together a recruiting class that was among the nation’s best: forward Cam Williams, point guard Deron Rippey Jr., wing Bryson Howard and post player Maximie Meyer. After adding Boumtje Boumtje, the Devils’ class generally has been ranked second behind Arkansas.
The Duke frontcourt? Fully loaded.
Duke has Patrick Ngongba returning, the 6-11, 250-pound junior deciding on another year of development before turning pro. The Blue Devils recruited Williams, a versatile 7-footer out of Phoenix who recruiting sites listed as the No. 1 power forward in the country.
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Meyer is a 7-1 freshman from Canada and a 4-star recruit. From the portal came 6-10 Drew Scharnowski from Belmont, a senior who was rated a 4-star portal transfer.
On its roster for 2026-27, Duke is listing Boumtje Boumtje at 7-2 and 250 pounds, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan.
Boumtje Boumtje has said the strength of his game is his overall game, and also cites his mobility at his size.
His father, Ruben, who played college ball at Georgetown before going pro, developed Joaquim much like a guard in his early teens — picture “JoJo” bringing the ball up the court at 6-foot-6 when he was 14 and in the eighth grade. Joaquim said the point-guard skills gained have helped him in becoming a better passer, with better court vision.
“Dad wanted to train me like a point guard and not be stuck in a center box,” Boumtje Boumtje said on the Duke podcast.
A native of Cameroon, Ruben Boumtje Boumtje played briefly in the NBA before heading overseas. Joaquim was born in Germany during his father’s pro basketball days, and the family moved to the U.S. and then to Barcelona when Joaquim — who has a younger brother and two sisters — was 14.
Ruben Boumtje Boumtje is head of league operations for the African Basketball League.
Video highlights from a recent Duke practice show Boumtje Boumtje dunking off a fast-break lob from Caleb Foster. There’s a stepback 3-pointer, then a pullup 3 in transition from the top of the key by the left-handed shooter, who has good form and a smooth stroke.
Scheyer, again, will have a lot of talent, a lot of options. Duke, again, should be a national contender.
Is it too early to talk about that?
This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje’s name.
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