Ricky O’Donnell Raves About Duke’s Boumtje Boumtje

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ISTANBUL, TURKIYE - JULY 05: Nikola Kusturica of Serbia, and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtjethe United States are selected to the All-Star Five during the FIBA U17 at BDC Main Venue on July 05, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkiye. (Photo by Ferda Demir/Getty Images) | Getty Images

After his star turn with Team USA in the FIBA U17 tournament in Istanbul, the opinions on Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje have skyrocketed. Most recent example: our SB Nation colleague Ricky O’Donnell, who has some rather lavish praise for the Duke freshman, republished here on DBR. This is his headline for his column about Boumtje Boumtje: Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is the best prospect in the world outside of the NBA, and Duke is next.

That’s pretty high praise indeed.

As O’Donnell points out here, Boozer is currently 7-0 in shoes, with a 9-4 inch reach. That, of course, means that he can dunk by jumping less than a foot off the ground, which is a huge asset.

He praises his versatility, including his shot, his perimeter skills, and his ball handling, and his willingness to do the dirty work around the basket.

Not to knock O’Donnell – we believe he’s sincere – but for Duke, all the positive press could become an issue. People used to talk of unrecruiting, of resetting expectations. It’s kind of a second-rate approach, because it implies deception to get the player in the first place, but there’s a chance that Boumtje Boumtje may read his clippings, watch the videos and podcasts, and believe them.

Based on what we’ve seen, it seems unlikely, but one never knows. Hopefully not.

The most amazing thing in this article is what Team USA coach Scott Fitch said about his young star. Check this out: “We’ve never had that situation where a kid came in and he’s an expert on FIBA rules. So as a coach I’ve leaned on him for different things, different rules and different ways to make sure we’re playing the FIBA game the right way. It’s been great as a coach. I feel like he’s almost like an assistant coach in some ways.”

Duke target AJ Williams (‘28) backs it up: “He’s really good. He’s 7-foot, can shoot the ball like a point guard. He’s really good and he’s gotten adjusted to the style we play. He’s really good with the rules. When we look at film, we rely on him to tell all the stuff we probably don’t know as players.”

We’ve never heard anyone say things like that about a kid his age, other than former Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, who was essentially a part-time coach for Arizona when he was a walk-on there.

Obviously, Boumtje Boumtje is no walk-on. What do you get when you have a kid with his talent, his skill, and an immense basketball IQ?

Someone who is going to be a load for everyone else to deal with.

• ESPN analyst compares incoming Duke hoops freshman to Cam Boozer
• USA Found Another MONSTER | Boumtje Boumtje Is UNSTOPPABLE
• Future stars: Which players will have the best pro career?
• Boozer, Boumtje Boumtje Similarity Bad News for Duke Basketball Rivals
• Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje’s emergence could unlock Duke’s ultimate Florida counter

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