It’s not uncommon for elite prospects to fess up about dream offers after growing up as fans of certain schools throughout their adolescence.
Oftentimes, at this point, the players aren’t diehards anymore and know the importance of picking the right fit over childhood allegiances.
That said, junior wing Nikolas Khamenia had a rare take when asked if there was a dream scenario of an offer for him.
“Not so much a school, but more a coach, I’d say,” Khamenia said. “I actually grew up a big Coach K fan. He was kinda like ‘that’ guy. It was the aura. I would look at interviews with NBA guys and they always talked about how impactful he was. It was bigger than basketball with him.”
*****
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2026 Rankings: Top 65
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
*****
The now retired Hall of Famer’s former school, Duke, has yet to extend an offer to Khamenia, but that hasn’t stopped other college basketball heavyweights from lining up.
UCLA, Gonzaga, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois, Virginia, USC and California all reached out to Khamenia “consistently” applying the full-court recruiting press.
As it stands, Khamenia took his lone official visit to Gonzaga last fall.
“I haven’t put things down on paper, but I’m hoping to get out to some schools in the spring,” said Khamenia, who checks in at No. 47 overall in the Rivals 150. “The whole process has been fun, just getting to know the coaches and talking with them.”
This season, Khamenia helped Harvard Westlake claim its sixth consecutive Mission League title, a carryover from a dominant summer in the Pro 16 League last year when he pumped in 22 points a game.
At 6-foot-8, Khamenia’s versatility on both ends of the floor is what’s made him a hot prospect among college basketball coaches.
Still, as gifted as he is as a three-level scorer, Khamenia said he gets more excited about threading the needle on a sharp pass than he does on draining an NBA 3-pointer.
“Think about it, there are a lot of guys that can shoot it, but passing is different,” Khamenia said. “Not everyone can make a special pass, that’s about IQ and timing and energy. I feel like I just think differently than most guys.”
When asked about the root of his motivation as he closes out his high school season and preps for spring ball, Khamenia didn’t zero-in on anything specific. Instead he pointed to his perfectionist mentality in his approach to the game.
“I have a lot of motivation because I’m just not satisfied with anything,” Khamenia said. “I have so much to work for and so much to go get. That’s my mentality for the end of the year and heading into the spring.”
