Caleb Wilson and the North Carolina Tar Heels did not have the 2025-26 college basketball season they were hoping for.
After finishing 24-8 overall and 12-6 in ACC play, UNC earned a No. 11 seed and played in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, but fell to the VCU Rams 82-78 in overtime, ending the Tar Heels’ season early and bringing Hubert Davis’ coaching stint to a close. Wilson was North Carolina’s best player this year, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. But a broken right thumb during a team practice ended his freshman season early, missing the NCAA Tournament.
Now, Wilson will be heading to the NBA, where he is expected to be an early first-round pick. And on Friday, another ACC superstar freshman declared as well.
Cameron Boozer, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward out of Columbus High School (Miami, Florida), was a five-star prospect in the class of 2025 (247Sports). He ranked as the third-best prospect in his class, five spots ahead of Wilson, along with the top power forward and the second-best from the state of Florida.
Boozer committed to UNC’s rival, the Duke Blue Devils, where he went on to win National College Player of the Year honors after averaging 22.5 points on 55.6% shooting, along with 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Like Williams, Boozer is widely expected to be selected early in the 2026 NBA Draft and is projected as a top-three pick. Sure enough, on Friday, Boozer took to social media to announce his basketball future, and as expected, he declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.
“Thank you for everything @dukeuniversity,” Boozer wrote on Instagram. “Duke Blue forever.”
Wilson took notice of his rival’s NBA Draft decision, sharing a joke with Boozer as both prepare to depart for the professional ranks after one college season: “we added to the rivalry.” Wilson and Boozer will expect to hear their names called in the 2026 NBA Draft, which begins on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
