Basketball
Julius Avent has the looks of a name to know when Duke basketball dives into its 2026 pursuits.
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AAU play is ramping up. And while the Duke basketball recruiting team is primarily focused on filling a few more 2024-25 roster openings via the transfer portal, Jon Scheyer & Co. will eventually shift their attention to gearing up for another June 15 phone-a-thon — the annual first day that college coaches can call, email, text, and direct message rising high school juniors — not to mention increasing their efforts to land their first commitment from the current crop of rising seniors.
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Thus far, no 2026 talents have reported offers from Jon Scheyer and his staff. That wasn’t the case at this juncture in the 2025 cycle; no, the Boozer twins and Cooper Flagg, now a 2024 signee after reclassifying in the fall before pledging allegiance to the Blue Devils, had already been offer-holding Duke targets for roughly a year.
But a handful of top 2026 prospects have reported significant interest from the crew in Durham.
Meanwhile, several others have expressed the desire to land on the Duke basketball radar. Now, add one more to that list: Bergen Catholic (N.J.) forward Julius Avent, son of former Seton Hall star forward and 1990s NBA journeyman Anthony Avent Sr.
“I like big ACC schools [and others],” Avent, already boasting a few Power 6 offers, recently noted to Pro Insight, “like Kentucky, Duke. Kansas, UConn, just like blueblood schools…”
We spoke with ‘26 Julius Avent last weekend at @madehoops in NJ and talked about his family’s rich 🏀 history, how he describes his own game, some of his goals for the summer, the latest with his recruitment, which programs he’d love to see get involved, and more (sound 🔊 on). pic.twitter.com/b6bKGUU1xH
— Pro Insight (@_proinsight) April 21, 2024
The 6-foot-7, 175-pound four-star ranks No. 53 among his 2026 peers in the eyes of On3. However, if his double-digit sophomore scoring average for powerhouse prep Bergen Catholic is any indication of how he’ll perform against elite competition throughout the spring and summer for PSA Cardinals (N.Y.) in Nike EYBL action, chances are the attack-minded wing’s stock will soon rise.
FINAL (16U)@PSACardinals 54@WVGoldHoops 49
‘26 Julius Avent (📷) showcased his downhill attacking throughout the game, getting to the line often as ‘26s Hassan Koureissi, Jasiah Jervis + Darius Ratcliff flashed in supportive roles.
‘26s Eli Sancomb + Zyon Hawthorne led WV pic.twitter.com/6RHeoOiRU1
— ELITE High School Scouting (@EliteHSscouting) April 20, 2024
It sure sounds as though Julius Avent is dedicated to achieving his dream of playing in NBA, as he explained to Pro Insight what he’s learned from his father in that regard:
“How hard it is to get to the NBA and how much work you have to put in.”
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.
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