With no surprise, the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft was Cooper Flagg, the star freshman and AP Player of the Year from Duke. Technically, this gives the Blue Devils the distinction of having back-to-back No. 1 overall picks from those who attended college, as Paolo Banchero in 2022 was the previous collegiate No. 1 pick.
We are STILL the only school with back-to-back No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks.#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/KS5wgu3D5s
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) June 26, 2025
That being said, the last time a college basketball program had back-to-back years of developing the No. 1 pick in the NBA was the Duquesne Dukes, all the way back to 1955 and 1956, with Dick Ricketts and Sihugo Green getting taken first in those respective years.
Even with programs such as Duke and Kentucky consistently having top picks, we’ve yet to get two straight from one school. However, the Blue Devils have a realistic chance of ending the drought next year to pair Flagg with another star forward prospect.
Cameron Boozer is a 6’9 forward and son of former Duke legend and NBA veteran, Carlos Boozer. He’s a consensus five-star incoming freshman, ranked in the top-3 overall in the 2025 recruiting class. His game aligns well with the NBA, which is why he’s featured in many early 2026 mock drafts, also ranking in the top 3.
There are two star players that Boozer will be battling for the top spot in the draft. AJ Dybantsa is the No. 1 overall prospect in the class, a 6’7 elite forward who some have had in the same class as Flagg in terms of being a “can’t miss” pro prospect. He’s going to BYU and will have a tremendous spotlight in trying to get the program to its first-ever Final Four.
The other is Darryn Peterson, a 6’5 guard going to Kansas as its projected lead guard. We’ve seen Coach Bill Self develop elite future pros, and Peterson very well could be the next one, but will he be the No. 1 overall pick a year from now?
In order to break Duquesne’s long-time streak, it’s probably going to be Duke who does it eventually. Next year will be as great a shot to do so if Cam Boozer is as good as advertised.