Jeff Borzello
Paul Biancardi
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Paul Biancardi
Basketball Recruiting
- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
Top 25 recruit Sebastian Wilkins has committed to Duke and will reclassify into the 2025 class, he announced Friday, adding to the Blue Devils’ top-ranked recruiting class.
Wilkins’ decision comes one day after Duke landed highly touted Italian wing Dame Sarr from FC Barcelona.
A 6-foot-8 forward, Wilkins chose the Blue Devils over Maryland.
“Duke has always been my dream school,” Wilkins told ESPN. “I remember seeing Zion Williamson play against Tacko Fall in the NCAA tournament and that’s when I knew Duke was for me. When I was 6 years old, my mother knew how much I loved Duke, and she took me to visit the campus. This is a full-circle moment.”
Both Duke and Maryland hosted Wilkins for a visit in recent weeks, with the Blue Devils turning up the heat following the end of his high school season. The Massachusetts native built a strong relationship with coach Jon Scheyer.
“Coach Scheyer thinks I can come in and impact and be part of a great recruiting class,” Wilkins said. “I fit real well with the other recruits. He’s a great guy. He’s very genuine.”
Wilkins, who attends Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, was ranked No. 17 in the 2026 class, but will slot in at No. 25 in the 2025 class after his decision to move back into his original class. This spring on the Adidas 3SSB circuit, Wilkins averaged 16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for the Mass Rivals grassroots program.
“Sebastian has a strong and physical body that can hurt opponents around the rim, but yet he is just as effective stepping away and spacing the floor,” Mass Rivals coach Vin Pastore said. “He scores consistently with the 3-ball as well as off the bounce. His size, athleticism and versatility allow him to defend multiple positions. Best of all, Sebastian’s upside and ceiling are both very high.”
Wilkins impacts games inside the arc and on the perimeter with his passing, straight-line drives and ability to knock down jumpers. He hits the glass hard and also has the ability to take it off the glass and push it with control. He is an aware and smart off-ball defender, which should help him as a freshman.
“Sebastian is such a multidimensional player, a great competitor and team player,” Brewster Academy coach Jason Smith said. “He had multiple big shots and game-winners all season long. When he first joined us, he reminded me so much of [former Iowa State star] Melvin Ejim, who never started a game in the two years he was at Brewster but finished 99% of them. They are both highly productive.
“Everybody here in the Brewster community loves him and I’m sure he’ll have the same impact at Duke.”
Wilkins is the fourth top-25 prospect in Duke’s 2025 class, joining Cameron Boozer (No. 3), Nikolas Khamenia (No. 15) and Cayden Boozer (No. 16). Sarr is a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
It marks the second straight year Scheyer and Duke will land the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.
