Sebastian Wilkins Journey To Duke
Sebastian Wilkins lit up the high school basketball world by reclassifying up to the class of 2025 and joining Jon Scheyer and his Duke Blue Devils squad next season.
Wilkins has been one of the top players in New England for some time now, starting his high school journey off at Lawrence Academy and finishing strong with two good seasons for Brewster Academy.
He has also played an integral role for the Mass Rivals throughout his high school career, averaging 16 points and 6 boards a game last spring.
I sat down with Sebastian and asked some questions to learn more about his journey to playing blue blood basketball.
Basketball was introduced to Wilkins when his “dad signed [him] up for a youth league when [he] was 4 years old.” From there he fell in love with the game and at young ages was working hard to achieve his goal.
He has always been very passionate about basketball. “I still consider basketball fun” which is important to staying happy while working countless hours a day on your game.
In the eighth grade Wilkins realized “I could take this more seriously,” and really make a name for himself in the New England basketball scene.
He decided to enroll at Lawrence Academy for his Freshman year, where he would earn All NEPSAC honors during his two years there while also eclipsing the 1,000 point mark at the end of his sophomore season.
Growing up in the Boston area has also helped to shape his game: “Playing in all the summer tournaments really helps” Wilkins explains. He was able to play against and practice with the best competition in New England constantly growing up.
“We all support each other" was another staple of the basketball atmosphere in Boston. They can go head to head with each other in a high intensity game and then be best friends right after, which makes the process mutually beneficial for all.
After Wilkins success in Lawrence, he decided to take his talents to Wolfeboro New Hampshire, enrolling at Brewster Academy.
Brewster has been one of the top prep schools in the country for some time now, producing top Division 1 talent as well as NBA players. “It is a winning program and you know they always produce” was what sold Wilkins on the idea of playing for Jason Smith.
“Getting in the gym, seeing all the NBA alumni and knowing the history” was even more motivation for Wilkins to succeed at the next level. During his time at Brewster he continued to add to their long tenured success.
When he first got there he asserted himself as a top option on a team full of nationally ranked players.
This past season the Bobcats had a good showing at the Chipotle Nationals despite being down one of their best players, Dwayne Aristode. Wilkins knew he had to step up and produce more in order to win a championship.
For Wilkins the highlight of his time in New Hampshire was his game winner against Link Academy. He played good games against some of the top competition in the country, including his new teammates, the Boozer twins.
His play led to him being selected to the EYBL All Scholastic First team. This accolade was a capstone to a great two years under Jason Smith. He would finish the year ranked 35th by 247 Sports in the class of 2026 rankings.
The flip side to his success has been during AAU and playing with the Mass Rivals in the Adidas 3SSB circuit.
“I played for Mass Rivals for five years” which is something that is not seen as much anymore. A high level player sticking with his original AAU team helps to build relationships as well as grow the next generation of players.
One thing that really helped Wilkins grow was “playing up 17U when I was only 15.” This is something that Rivals does well and they have seen loads of success as a result.
Over his high school and AAU career Wilkins has played with a plethora of future high major basketball players, such as Andre Mills, Kur Teng, Dwayne Aristode, Bryce Dortch, George Turkson and many more.
Playing with high level players has “helped [him] grow as a player and gave [him] something to look up to” while also allowing him to have the same impact on the next generation.
After a historic high school career, Wilkins had many options on what to do for his senior year. Go back to Brewster and look to compete for a National Championship, or move on and continue his journey of getting to the next level.
“My coaches thought it would be a good idea,” and believed that he was ready to have an impact next season. It came down to Duke and Maryland.
In Maryland, there are two of his former Rivals teammates, George Turkson and Andre Mills. When it came down to a final decision, Wilkins decided that Scheyer had brought the opportunity to him and the way he would fit on the team was intriguing to him.
“It is a winning program just like Brewster and I want to continue that” was one of the ultimate factors that drove his decision according to the incoming Blue Devil. He likes to put himself in the best possible position and play against the best of the best everyday.
Nicknames can often play a big role in a person’s identity, and Wilkins said his teammates call him “Warden.” This is fitting as he has often been a leader that produces at a high level against some of the best talent around.
Wilkins journey has been impressive to say the least, and his decision this past spring was the cherry on top. He played with and against some of the best competition around the country, including his new teammates Cameron and Cayden Boozer.
New England will certainly be watching how Wilkins does next season and his story should show the courage and eagerness you must have to challenge yourself to get better everyday.
Sebastian Wilkins
Dwayne Aristode