Twins Cayden, left, and Cameron Boozer run down the court during their victory over Team Maine at Peach Jam, the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League tournament in North Augusta, SC, in July 2022. The brothers are sons of former Duke basketball player Carlos Boozer.
North of Augusta, South Carolina
Cameron and Cayden Boozer just celebrated their 15th birthday two weeks ago, yet they speak with wisdom beyond their years of the recruiting melting pot they’re about to fully experience.
The twin sons of former Duke and 13-year NBA veteran Carlos Boozer are already among the most-recruited players in the Class of 2025. The duo just completed their freshman year at Columbus High School in Miami and have emerged in the ESPN’s top 25 .com rankings.
Cameron, who resembles his mother Cindy, is a 6-foot-8 forward ranked No. 1. Cayden, who resembles his father more closely, is a 6-foot-3 guard ranked No. 24 Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) team to the under-15 title at Peach Jam on Sunday in North Augusta, SC
“My mom is really the one who really set me up to (recruit), talking to me about coaches and people trying to get in touch with me and stuff, and just making sure everything is legal and eligible and everything,” Cameron said. “I mean, it’s a lot, but you just have to try to block it out and try to stay away from the noise and just play your game.”
Player-watching buzz is usually reserved for rising seniors at Peach Jam, which is spread across six basketball courts at North Augusta (SC)’s Riverview Park Activity Center. And there was no shortage of stars and players with NBA pedigree, including LeBron James’ son Bronny; and Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan. Along with LeBron and Melo, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Ja Morant also showed up and created a bit of chaos among the fans.
The Boozer twins were not outshone. When his Nightrydas squad took on Cooper Flagg, who is ranked #3 in the class, and Team Maine, his game was moved to the main gym to accommodate the oversized crowd.
“That part is new to us, because it didn’t really come until this year,” said Cindy, who met Carlos Boozer while attending NC State. “They went under the radar before now, so it’s our little team since the second grade and no one really paid attention. It’s been a little bit different, but I think they’ve been raised the right way, so they stay humble.”
It certainly helps that your father has been through everything you’re going to experience now. But his parents, who have been divorced since 2014, have encouraged them to forge their own paths, and that includes the journey of choosing what’s next.
It’s easy to assume the Blue Devils have a draft advantage given that his father played in Durham. But that would be wrong.
Carlos Boozer’s first year at Duke in 1999-2000 he played alongside current assistant coach Chris Carrawell, who was a senior on that team. Carrawell, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and assistant coach Jai Lucas were sitting together to watch the Boozer and Flagg twins square off at Peach Jam. But the twins said they have no pre-existing relationship with the staff.
“I don’t know them very well,” Cameron said. “But I know in general the training is amazing and the development that they talked about, my dad talked about it, my mom talked about it, it’s a real thing. They’re really going to take care of you.”
The twins visited Duke when they were in fourth grade. Cayden said at that age it was just about seeing where his father played and meeting some of his former teammates. They haven’t been to many games at Cameron Indoor Stadium and haven’t been indoctrinated to think about Duke or bust.
“I just want to be in a place where I can trust the coach and he trusts my ability,” Cayden said. “It’s not a lock on Duke. I’m open to anything.”
So far, every school that has offered a scholarship, including Duke, Michigan, Miami and Florida State, has extended the offer to both players. But the twins are not presented as a package.
They both talk about adjusting to the next level and realize that one school may not be the best place for both games. Cayden said it’s “not likely” they’ll play together in college.
“I mean, obviously, it would be awesome to go to the same school as my brother,” Cameron said. “But at the end of the day, we have to find schools that accommodate both. So maybe it’s not the same school for us and maybe we just have to wait until later.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2022 11:30 a.m.
CL Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown brings more than two decades of reporting experience, including stints as a senior writer at Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After a long stint at the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he won an APSE award, he had stints at ESPN.com, The Athletic and even tried running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.