Back in July, Chatsworth High School (Calif.) junior guard Alijah Arenas, son of Arizona basketball great and former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, listed the Duke basketball coaches among those prioritizing him in his recruitment.
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The 6-foot-5, 190-pound versatile five-star, boasting top-notch instincts as an athletic wing and checking in at No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, hasn’t reported an offer from Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils yet. However, it sounds like the recruiters in Durham are still paying close attention to Arenas as a potential target.
As recently as October, Arenas told 247Sports’ Eric Bossi that he hopes to check out the Blue Devils via a trip to Durham come spring. He also plans to visit Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, USC, and Louisville, where his sister plays, among others.
“I’ll be taking visits in the spring,” he told Bossi, “a lot of them.”
On Friday night, Alijah Arenas was in the McKale Memorial Center and watched the visiting Blue Devils defeat his father’s alma mater, 69-55.
Here is part of Bossi’s assessment of Arenas as a top-flight talent in the cycle:
“Arenas is tremendously skilled and has a deep arsenal of scoring moves. He loves to set up jumpers via the dribble and has every step back, side step, and pull-up jumper that you can imagine in his bag. He’s not necessarily the most explosive guy with his first step, but he’s so clever with his changes of speed, hesitations, and ball handling that it’s still almost impossible to stay in front of him.”
For now, the 2026 Duke basketball offer sheet consists of three names, all of the five-star variety, in Paul VI Catholic (Va.) guard Jordan Smith Jr., St. John Bosco High School (Calif.) guard Brandon McCoy Jr., and Compass Prep (Ariz.) forward Miikka Muurinen.
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Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.
