Duke commit Dame Sarr gets candid on Blue Devils 'Brotherhood': "Everybody wants everybody to succeed"

Italian forward Dame Sarr announced his commitment to the Duke Blue Devils on Friday. Sarr played for Barcelona in the ACB Spanish League and the Euroleague before leaving for college basketball at Duke.

On "The Brotherhood" podcast on Friday, Sarr revealed his admiration for the much-vaunted Blue Devils 'Brotherhood,' which brings together current and former players (3:50).

"The brotherhood—it's a big family. I think everyone wants each other to succeed, both in basketball and beyond," Dame Sarr said. "I’ve talked to a lot of people, and everyone had only good things to say about the program. I felt really good about it, so for me, that’s great."

The Duke Brotherhood is a connection between former and current Blue Devils players, and before the season starts, freshmen on the team do a compulsory summer course titled "The Brotherhood Class," during which they're taught how to transition from high school to college and to welcome the recruits to the program.

The philosophy of the brotherhood was started during legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski's tenure in charge.

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Dame Sarr calls Duke "his dream school"

Dame Sarr was the second-youngest ever player to debut for Barcelona when he was 16-years old and even made his debut for the Italian national team. He also starred during the Nike Hoop Summit in April tallying 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the game against his future Duke teammates, Cameron and Cayden Boozer.

Following his commitment, Sarr told ESPN why he chose to play for coach Jon Scheyer over other schools.

"Duke was my dream school," Dame Sarr said. "I watched a lot of NCAA games this season, especially Duke. I played with Jabari Parker this season, who went to Duke. When I had the chance to go there, I had to take it. My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA. There's no better place to prepare you for that than Duke.

"For me to be as NBA-ready as possible, and become the best version of myself, I needed to have both experiences -- playing for a pro team like Barcelona, and playing in a different type of professional environment like Duke against other players my age. Opportunity, minutes, repetition -- this route is the best next step for me at this time."

Last year's Duke team is expected to produce the number one overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Cooper Flagg and first-rounders, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, making Dame Sarr's ambitions seem viable.