Over the decades, Duke and UNC have often gone head-to-head for talented young players. Just think back: Art Heyman flipped to Duke at the dawn of the Vic Bubas era. Danny Ferry was a huge UNC target, then Duke got involved. Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Jason Williams all used to be UNC fans. Shane Battier was a huge UNC target.
More recently than any of those, Harrison Barnes looked like a Duke lean for a long time.
This hasn’t happened for a good while, but Duke and UNC may both
be pitching woo to a Euro big man, Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
A 6-11 lefty, his father, Ruben, played for Georgetown and in the NBA for three seasons before a heart condition forced him to retire.
And now, UNC and Duke are both reportedly pursuing him.
The Tar Heels, having lost Henri Veesaar to the NBA Draft, need size. As for Duke, Boumtje Boumtje is the sort of stretch 4 that Mike Krzyzewski loved and which Jon Scheyer continues to covet. He’d definitely have an opportunity to fit into the slot occupied by guys like Danny Ferry, Christian Laettner, and Paolo Banchero, among others. He also fits a prized Duke pattern: both Coach K and Scheyer have chased players who come from basketball families.
Since Boumtje Boumtje is still quite young (16), and plays for FC Barcelona, there’s no guarantee he plays college basketball, much less at either Duke or UNC. Still, it has the potential to be a classic and bruising fight between the 15-501 rivals.
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