Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje Center From FC Barcelona Committed To Duke, Head Coach Jon Scheyer Instead Of North Carolina Head Coach Michael Malone
8 miles is what separates the campuses of Duke University , North Carolina @ Chapel Hill!
Duke, North Carolina battle each other twice during the regular season on the hardwood!
This off season they’re battling each other on the recruiting trail as well as Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer preparing for his fifth season as Head Coach Of Duke while Michael Malone is preparing for his first season as Head Coach of North Carolina is replacing Hubert Davis.
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje center from FC Barcelona committed to Duke, Head Coach Jon Scheyer instead of North Carolina Michael Malone.
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje announced his commitment to Duke on Instagram with a picture of him in a number 44 jersey saying blessed and excited to announce my commitment to Duke Blue Devils for next season ! Thank you to my family my coaches and my teammates who have been helping throughout my journey . The number 44 jersey is hanging in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium as it was Jeff Mullins number. Jeff Mullins was a standout guard as well as forward who played for Duke from 1960-1964
Jeff Mullins is currently 84 years old!
Did Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje ask Jeff Mullins permission to wear his number in 2026-2027 season or is Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje going to have to pick another number?
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is class of 2026!
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtjehas a tremendous overlap of size and skill. He measured at 7-feet tall (with shoes on) at the 2025 USA Basketball trials with a 9-foot-4 standing reach. The southpaw also has extremely soft natural touch and floor-spacing ability. He's probably best described as a stretch-five who projects as being able to pick-and-pop, play out of various types of perimeter actions, and particularly valuable as a floor-spacing trailer.
He's not an elite athlete and could stand to better develop his conditioning and footspeed. Simultaneously, he could improve his assertiveness, aggression, and physicality in the lane as well. He won't turn 17 until May of 2026, so he's very young for his grade, and going to require some patience as he keeps growing into his body and adapting to a more physical brand of basketball, but he is a clear high-upside long-term prospect who won't be draft eligible until 2028.
According Adam Finkelstein Director Of Scouting for 247 Sports
Following Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje committing to Duke, Head Coach Jon Scheyer Jeff Goodman of Field Of 68 shared his thoughts saying I had someone skill wise compare him to Karl - Anthony Towns who played for John Calipari who coached Karl - Anthony Towns at Kentucky who is now Head Coach of Arkansas.
How did they compare Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje , Karl Anthony Towns who is now playing in NBA with New York Knicks? Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje Skilled can pass , can shoot . It’ll just take sometime for him to develop.