Duke Nation Hinges on Cooper Flagg’s Return After 5-Star Recruit Takes a Shocking U-Turn

It was almost believed that Cooper Flagg wouldn’t be coming back. Like, the predicted no. 1 NBA Draft picks had one foot out the door. But even then, Duke fans weren’t exactly panicking. Why? Because the Blue Devils already had four top-25 prospects locked in. Five-star power forward Cameron Boozer and his twin brother Cayden were ready to make Cameron their new playground. Add fellow five-star Nikolas Khamenia to the mix, and things looked fine. The 2025-26 roster felt predictable. But, well… seems like it’s not going to look like the way we expected at all. 

The Blue Devils were expected to bounce back with a loaded squad next season after falling short this time around. But out of nowhere, head coach Jon Scheyer took a hit as one of the biggest names in his 2025 class just dipped. 

Five-star forward Shelton Henderson, ranked No. 14 by 247Sports, officially decommitted and reopened his recruitment. Henderson committed last November, but here’s the thing. His main connection was with Jai Lucas, Duke’s former associate head coach. And Lucas is now down in Miami, working as the Hurricanes’ new head coach. He even pulled up to Henderson’s high school, Bellaire, before the decommitment happened. Coincidence? Doesn’t look like it. The streets are buzzing. Is Henderson following Lucas to Miami?

And that’s not even the wildest part. This whole situation has fans thinking maybe, just maybe, Cooper Flagg’s staying after all. One fan tweeted, “Wow Cooper coming back.” Another added, “Sophomore Coop will be epic.”

OFFICIAL: 5 Shelton Henderson has DECOMMITTED from Duke.

Tough loss. https://t.co/O97ubVokYC

— Ryan Lommen (@TheDukeNation) April 18, 2025

Things just got interesting in Durham.

 

Developing Story….

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