Duke has landed a commitment from Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, a 7-foot center who plays for FC Barcelona’s youth team, he announced.
The five-star versatile big man is viewed as one of the top prospects for his age group. He won’t turn 17 until late May and will join the Blue Devils in the 2026 class. Because of his age, he will be required to complete two years of college before becoming eligible for the 2028 NBA Draft.
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This season with Barca Liga U, the developmental team for FC Barcelona, Boumtje Boumtje averaged 16.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 23 minutes per game.
He also excelled at the adidas NextGen Tournament earlier this year, averaging 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds while earning MVP honors.
Boumtje Boumtje is originally from St. Petersburg, Florida before moving to Spain a few years ago. He is the son of Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, a former NBA center for the Portland Trail Blazers in the early 2000s.
He joins Duke’s loaded No. 1 ranked recruiting class, alongside Five-Star Plus+ power forward Cam Williams (No. 3 NATL), five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 8 NATL), five-star shooting guard Bryson Howard (No. 14 NATL), and four-star center Maxime Meyer (No. 102 NATL). Jon Scheyer has also dipped into the portal this offseason, landing five-star Wisconsin transfer shooting guard John Blackwell (No. 2 overall in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings) and four-star Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski (No. 45 overall in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings).
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Scouting Boumtje Boumtje
Rivals’ National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw evaluated Boumtje Boumtje at the USA Basketball October Minicamp and had this to say about his game:
“It really is the feel that Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje the brings to the game. The lefty has soft hands with great touch. He extended it out beyond the three-point arc a couple of times and showed that he understood angles and creating leverage on the block. The question with him will be the athleticism. Somewhat heavy feet, he was still able to consistently create advantages around the basket. He also rebounded his area well, doing the work early to gain position.”
