"I was playing basketball & soccer at same time": Jon Scheyer's new Italian acquisition reveals insane athletic background since age of 6

Duke coach Jon Scheyer has hit the recruitment trail hard after a disappointing end to the Blue Devils' season at the Final Four stage of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

On Friday, Scheyer clinched the commitment of Italian guard Dame Sarr who previously played for Barcelona in the ACB League.

During Friday's segment of "The Brotherhood" podcast, Sarr revealed his stunning athletic background of playing both soccer and basketball and how it led him to the professional leagues (0:30).

"So, I started playing basketball at six," Sarr said. "That's when I started to play basketball. I was playing basketball and soccer at the same time. And then I started to play basketball more seriously when I was 13, and I moved out to my house, and I went to an academy, and I spent there, three years. After I moved, I moved to Spain in Barcelona."

Dame Sarr first played for Barcelona in the Spanish ACB League as a 16-year-old, becoming the second-youngest player ever for the club and he soon became an Italian national (November 2024).

Before he committed to Jon Scheyer's Duke Blue Devils, Sarr was highly recruited by the likes of the UConn Huskies and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Sarr was invited to and more than held his own during the Nike Hoop Summit in Oregon in April against future Duke teammates, Cameron and Cayden Boozer and the No. 1-ranked player in the class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa. He tallied 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the game.

Dame Sarr reveals why he chose Jon Scheyer's team

During an interview with ESPN on Thursday, Dame Sarr who became a crucial cog in the Barcelona team revealed why he picked the Duke Blue Devils to continue his career under coach Jon Scheyer.

"Duke was my dream school," 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."

He further revealed why Jon Scheyer's Duke was the best place to achieve his lofty ambitions of playing in the NBA.

"My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA, "Sarr said. "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.

Jon Scheyer helped to mold Cooper Flagg who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and Dame Sarr's confidence that he will achieve his NBA dream at Duke seems well-founded.