Sebastian Wilkins: “Manifested it, respect”: College hoops fans react as Sebastian Wilkins’ 6-year-old ambition for Duke resurfaces

Sebastian Wilkins is living out his childhood dream. The four-star recruit committed to Duke last week, but six years prior, the forward visited Duke and decided it would be his future school.

"Had fun in North and South Carolina. Got to visit my future college. Duke Blue Devils🏀🏀🏀," Wilkins wrote on Instagram six years ago.

Bleacher Report Hoops shared the full-circle moment on Instagram Tuesday.

College basketball fans reacted to Wilkins' dream coming true. Many discussed how the recruit turned his goal into a reality.

"Bro manifested it, respect."

An IG user says Wilkins manifested going to Duke

"Bro spoke it into existence."

A fan discusses Wilkins achieving his dream

"Dreams to reality."

A comment says Wilkins turned his dreams into reality

Others hyped Wilkins up.

"Yess brudda❤️"

"That's awesome."

An IG user shares their excitement about Wilkins going to Duke

Others let emojis do the talking.

"🔥🔥"

A comment uses fire emojis in relation to Wilkins achieving his goal

"🔋🫡👑😇"

A commenter reacts to the post about Wilkins using emojis

What Sebastian Wilkins brings to Duke

Last week, Sebastian Wilkins announced his commitment to play at Duke. The 6-foot-8 forward brings athleticism and size to the Blue Devils' impressive 2025 class.

Wilkins spent his high school career at Brewster Academy and reclassified from the 2026 class to join Duke this coming season. ESPN has the Blue Devils commit ranked No. 25 nationally.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: JAN 19 Spalding Hoophall Classic - Brewster Academy vs Oak Hill Academy - Source: Getty

Along with playing at Brewster Academy, Wilkins is part of Adidas' 3 Stripes Select Basketball Circuit. He averaged 16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for the team Mass Rivals this spring.

"Sebastian has a strong and physical body that can hurt opponents around the rim, but yet he is just as effective stepping away and spacing the floor," Wilkins' Mass Rivals coach Vin Pastore said.

"He scores consistently with the 3-ball as well as off the bounce. His size, athleticism and versatility allow him to defend multiple positions. Best of all, Sebastian's upside and ceiling are both very high."

Wilkins will hone his versatile skill set further at his dream school.

"Duke has always been my dream school," Wilkins told ESPN. "I remember seeing Zion Williamson play against Tacko Fall in the NCAA tournament and that's when I knew Duke was for me. When I was 6 years old, my mother knew how much I loved Duke, and she took me to visit the campus. This is a full-circle moment."

Wilkins is an impressive power forward with proven success and a high ceiling due to his size and two-way abilities. He will aim to make his impact on Duke next season.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat