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Isaiah Evans Supports Sebastian Wilkins' Decision to Return to Duke for 2026-27 Season
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- Isaiah Evans Supports Sebastian Wilkins' Decision to Return to Duke for 2026-27 Season
Isaiah Evans and the Duke Blue Devils fell short of expectations during the 2025-26 college basketball season. After securing the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Duke advanced to the Elite Eight. However, the Blue Devils fell short of the Final Four when Braylon Mullins hit a game-winning shot to lift No. 2 seed UConn to the win.
Despite the disappointing March Madness ending, Evans still had a great season. The sophomore guard from Fayetteville, N.C., started all 38 appearances and averaged career highs of 15 points on 43.3% shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. While Evans hasn't decided on his basketball future yet, one of his Blue Devils teammates has.
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Duke Blue Devils guard Isaiah Evans (3)Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Sebastian Wilkins, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward hybrid out of Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire), was a four-star prospect in the class of 2025 ( 247Sports ). He was the 47th-best overall recruit, the 11th-best power forward and the second-best New Hampshire prospect in his class.
Wilkins was originally part of the 2026 recruiting class, but he reclassified to 2025. With less high school experience than other incoming Duke freshmen, including Cameron and Cayden Boozer and Nikolas Khamenia, Wilkins and coach Jon Scheyer agreed that taking a redshirt year in 2025-26 was his best option. Wilkins did not appear in a game for the Blue Devils this past season.
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On Tuesday, Wilkins revealed on social media that he would return to Durham for the 2026-27 season as a redshirt freshman.
"back," Wilkins wrote on Instagram. "Unfinished business 💙😈 #year2"
Evans took notice of his teammate's announcement, showing support for Wilkins in the comments: "Bash."
While Evans' future is up in the air, Duke has a few key players returning, including Cayden Boozer and starting center Patrick Ngongba II.
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Related: Duke's Cameron Boozer Reacts to Career Announcement on Monday
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
