UConn men’s basketball reaches back into portal for a former top 15 high school prospect
The 2026-27 UConn men’s basketball roster is starting to take shape as the Huskies landed a significant commitment from Duke transfer Nikolas Khamenia on Saturday afternoon. A 6-foot-8 forward from Los Angeles, Khamenia was ranked the No. 15 prospect in the 2025 high school class by both ESPN and 247Sports, and was considered to be a potential NBA Draft choice ahead of his freshman year with the Blue Devils.
That didn’t exactly go to plan as he got a bit lost in coach Jon Scheyer’s rotation of superstars and averaged only 5. 7 points and 3. 3 rebounds in 19.
8 minutes per game. Now he’ll join Dan Hurley and the Huskies, who put an end to his first college season with the 19-point comeback in the Elite Eight. Khamenia was subbed out for Cayden Boozer with 10 seconds left, right before the inbound play that led to Braylon Mullins’ game-winning shot.
Touted as a cerebral passer and a consistent 3-point shooting threat coming out of high school, Khamenia never really found his groove from beyond the arc in his role with the Blue Devils and finished the year shooting 34% from 3. He was 1-for-1 from deep in the game against the Huskies. He figures to be a strong option to replace Alex Karaban, who’s held down the four spot at UConn for the last four years.
“Khamenia has a terrific overlap of size, skill, and a very high basketball IQ. He has great instincts and natural feel for the game. He’s an exceptional passer who can throw darts off the dribble with both hands and thread the needle when needed, but also understands how to be a ball-mover as well.