College basketball programs have spent the past several seasons widening their search beyond American high school gyms, looking for players who already log minutes against grown men. Duke has been part of that shift under coach Jon Scheyer, who inherited a roster built on elite recruiting and has kept the Blue Devils near the top of the sport by mixing domestic stars with overseas prospects.
Australia has become one of the steadiest sources of that talent. Guards who learn the game in the National Basketball League often arrive in the United States with a mature feel for pace, spacing and decision-making.
Australian point guard Luke Paul has committed to Duke, a source told Rivals. National basketball reporter Joe Tipton first reported the decision Thursday.
The 6-foot-6 prospect signed a multi-year deal with the NBL Next Stars program earlier this year, but has now opted to play college basketball for Scheyer beginning with the 2027-28 season.
Paul is considered a potential first-round pick in the 2028 NBA Draft. He is 17 and is set to spend the coming NBL season with the Cairns Taipans before enrolling in Durham.
He became the youngest player to join the Next Stars program when he signed in January. The pathway has produced a string of NBA draft picks, and Paul is the latest prospect to use it as a bridge rather than a final stop.
Paul said the choice was about development and winning.
“I want to get to the NBA and be a lottery pick, and I trust in their player development to get me there,” Paul told ESPN. “In saying that, winning a national championship at Duke is the ultimate goal for me.”
He averaged 15.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game at the 2026 FIBA U17 World Cup, where Australia took bronze and Paul made the All-Star Five. A year earlier he was named MVP of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup after leading Australia to gold.
Scheyer and his staff needed only one call to lock in the pledge, Paul said in the same interview. He cited the family feel of the program and left the conversation confident Duke was the right fit.
Paul had offers from USC, Auburn, Arkansas and Arizona State, with Louisville and Florida also showing strong interest, according to ESPN. He is regarded as a top international prospect in the 2028 draft class.
He becomes Duke’s second commitment in the 2027 class, joining four-star power forward Kager Knueppel, the younger brother of former Blue Devil Kon Knueppel. Paul will be the third Australian to play for the program, after Jack White and Tyrese Proctor.
An ankle injury has kept him from his Cairns debut, but he has said his focus remains on the Taipans this season. In an NBL statement, he thanked coach Adam Forde and the Next Stars staff for the daily work.
“I’m excited about committing to Duke, as it’s a dream come true and I’m equally excited about giving absolutely everything I have to Cairns this season,” Paul said.
Scheyer still has not won a national title since taking over from Mike Krzyzewski. Adding a long, pass-first guard with professional experience gives Duke another piece as it builds toward 2027-28.
