EMERSON, Ga. — Between the neon yellow Nikes, with calf-high white socks poking out of them, a camouflage Ralph Lauren baseball cap worn backwards, and some beige cargo shorts, one thing is abundantly clear:
Carlos Boozer has gone full basketball dad.
His outfit is a dead giveaway. But so too are his mannerisms, especially the way he pogo-sticks from seated to standing anytime his twin sons, Cameron and Cayden, do something spectacular. Which … happens quite frequently, seeing how they’re both top-35 prospects in the 2025 recruiting class. So there’s Boozer clapping, cheering, doing a workout’s worth of up-downs in the course of one grassroots game.
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And he couldn’t be happier.
“It’s surreal, man, really. I think all of us who were lucky enough to play in the NBA would love to have our kids get there, but for them to be on the path, they have a shot,” Carlos told The Athletic. “They’ve got a lot of work to do between 15 and 19, 20, whatever, but they’re doing pretty well.”
That’s putting it mildly. Both Boozer boys are legitimate pro prospects, and their lofty recruiting rankings reflect as much. Start with Cameron, possibly the best high school player in the country regardless of class. Not even 16 and already 6-foot-9 — the same as his dad’s listed NBA playing height — the bigger of the Boozer brothers is made for modern hoops success. He’s a true do-everything forward: gorgeous footwork in the paint, a solid-but-still-improving jump shot, strong understanding of team defense, and a selflessness belying his tremendous talent. Cayden, ranked No. 31 in the class, isn’t too far off, although at 6-foot-3, he’s an entirely different type of player. Carlos shifted Cayden from shooting guard to point guard two seasons ago, and since then? The brothers have won two state championships with Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, as well as a 15U Peach Jam title with their grassroots squad last summer. Cayden sets the table for it all, with excellent court vision — even beyond the expected twin telepathy — and a propensity for dishing dimes. He probably won’t grow to Cameron’s height, but he looks like a college-ready guard right now because of his frame and strength.
Doing “pretty well,” indeed.
Cameron Boozer dropped 40 AND 17 in front of Jayson Tatum and the Duke staff last night 😈🚨@NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/qdQL5B5b3P
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) April 23, 2023
But as the brothers prepare to enter their junior year of high school, lighting social media ablaze along the way, one question has become quite interesting: What’s next for the Boozer twins?
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The answer is a battle between lineage and leeway.
Lineage, in this case, means Duke, where Carlos was a three-year starter for Mike Krzyzewski and a key contributor on the Blue Devils’ 2001 national title team. Even 20 years since his departure, he’s a frequent visitor back on campus, both as a fan and as an ACC Network broadcaster. (Carlos graduated in 2020, earning his sociology degree.) He is one of the more visible, front-facing Duke alums of the last two decades, acting almost like a spokesperson for the program. You mean to believe his kids, especially given their capabilities and pro aspirations, are going anywhere else?
Well … maybe.
Because Carlos — despite any online crystal balls that say otherwise — has no intentions of forcing his boys down the same path he took.
“Coming out, Duke was the best move for me. I had Coach K, who coached a lot of pros and had a lot of experience, and I knew he was the right guy for me,” Carlos said. “They’re gonna have the opportunity to make the right choice for them, and make their own path — whether that’s Duke, or whether that’s somewhere else. Whatever’s right for them, me and mom are going to be happy with that. They’ve got to carve their own path, and it’s cool they’re doing it their own way.”
To what extent you believe that likely depends on how much Duke memorabilia you own. Case in point: Jon Scheyer was courtside for all of their Nike EYBL games last month at LakePoint Champions Center, and Chris Carrawell — one of Carlos’ former Duke teammates, who now is the team’s associate head coach — was, too. There’s obviously interest. Michigan’s Juwan Howard was a regular observer, too, as were several assistants from North Carolina, Miami and Arkansas.
When the prize is this good, everyone’s going to at least throw their hat in the ring.
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And according to the twins — who, to their credit, are aware of where they’re eventually expected to enroll — the full recruiting experience is certainly appreciated. “You mean the Duke locks?” Cayden joked after a win last weekend. “(I’m) just trying to look at my options, and not just focus on one thing.”
There’s another element to the equation, too: Are the brothers a package deal?
“It’s all about what’s right for us,” Cameron says. “The same school might be the right situation for us, and it might not.”
After one weekend of EYBL, it’s easy to understand why Duke or any other college would want both Boozers. Cameron averaged 27.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 blocks per game in Georgia, including one 40-point, 17-rebound affair and another contest where he dropped 32 points and 20 rebounds. Cayden, on the other hand, led their age group in assists with nine per game, in addition to 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds.
That production, to Carlos, is just a reflection of the boys’ willingness to work.
“You don’t have to pull them to the gym; they’re pulling me and mom to the gym to work out,” Carlos said. “You see a lot of kids that just give up a possession, or they give up on defense but want the ball on offense. My kids play every f—-ing possession. They compete, man. That’s my favorite thing.”
That much is obvious even over the course of a single EYBL game. Be it Cameron diving on the floor for a loose ball (while up double-digit points) or Cayden taking a charge in the paint, the brothers routinely put their bodies on the line in exchange for any small advantage. Now, if the Boozer twins didn’t play with that borderline-reckless abandon? They’d still be coveted by every high-major program in the country. But the fact that they do — despite their age and recruiting hype — is a testament to their mindset, one clearly influenced by a certain 13-year NBA veteran better known as Dad.
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To wit, while Carlos has clearly prepared his boys for what life is like in the spotlight, much of what they’re experiencing now is somewhat foreign to him. “They’re in a whole different landscape than I was in,” Carlos said. “We didn’t have the social media stuff. These guys get NBA-level coverage and they’re 15. We didn’t have that. Maybe LeBron, maybe Zion, but now it’s the norm. So I’m impressed with their level-headedness.”
It helps that the brothers seem to have their priorities straight. Both maintain that recruitment is on the backburner right now — at least through the EYBL season, if not their junior year of high school — and are solely focused on getting better. To Cameron, that means cutting down on his turnovers and creating more plays for others. And to Cayden, it’s continued reps with his jump shot, especially from 3-point range. Meanwhile, in terms of what matters most to them at the next level, the Boozers appear to be in lockstep:
“A school that really wants me to be there, that loves me,” Cameron said, “and also just a school that’s really defensive-minded.”
That last note should really have Duke fans’ ears perking up. Why? Because the Blue Devils had the nation’s No. 16 adjusted defensive efficiency in Scheyer’s first season, per KenPom.com, with the 35-year-old clearly prioritizing that end of the court. One season’s worth of evidence isn’t everything, but when you combine that with the family pedigree already working in Duke’s favor …
Pause. Slow down.
Nothing’s predetermined here, regardless of what you read online. Maybe two more Boozers do suit up in Duke blue, but maybe they don’t. Heck, you can ask the brothers directly: Is your dad influencing you to pick Duke because he went there? Steering you in any way?
“Nah,” Cameron said, cracking a smile. “He just wants me to make the right decision for me.”
(Top photo of Cameron, left, and Cayden Boozer: Al Diaz / Getty Images)
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