By SAM LANCE
INDIANAPOLIS — Class of 2025 five-star small forward Dwayne Aristode is eyeing visits to UCLA, UConn and Duke in July, he told ZAGSBLOG.com.
Aristode — the 6-foot-7, 185-pound small forward from Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the Expressions Elite AAU program — has already been on three visits. He took officials to Wake Forest and Arizona last year as well as an unofficial to UCLA.
Because of timelines playing with the Netherlands men’s national team in June, Aristode will plan to take those visits in July.
“I’d like to visit UCLA once more, let my parents see it because they weren’t there last time,” Aristode said. “UConn. Possibly Duke. I still have to think about it. I think right now those are my most. Don’t know my exact schedule so not sure.”
Aristode added that five schools — UCLA, Arizona, Wake Forest, Virginia, UConn — are currently recruiting him hardest. Here is his breakdown of each program:
UCLA: “My guy Nate [Georgeton]. You know coach [Mick] Cronin obviously. He trusts me and he wants me bad. He also explains to me why he likes me. I’m able to play a lot of defense, can guard a lot of people. He knows I can make shots and my versatility. He wants me. He actually wanted me to reclassify. So that just shows how much he wants me.”
Arizona: “Tommy Lloyd. Jack Murphy. They’ve both visited my family multiple times. I talk to them almost every day. That visit was a good visit. It’s a program where they produce a lot of European pros. He just likes the way I play and trusts me.”
Wake Forest: “Wake Forest was my first visit, kind of the school before all the hype came. First school interested in me, that shows how much they want me. Coach Jason Shay, coach [Steve] Forbes, they talk to me. I like their program. I like the way they play their guards and bigs. I just like the program and I like the campus too. I think it’s top five nicest campus in college history.”
Virginia: “Virginia is cool man. I like it. Orlando Vandross I talk to him. He’s my guy. We communicate a lot. I probably will look to see their school possibly too.”
UConn: “UConn was there for a while. UConn was probably the beginning of the season, first month of the season. Yeah, I’ve been talking with them. It’s been on and off though, so.”
Aristode confirmed that reclassifying to the 2024 class is off the table and he will remain in the 2025 class.
The Brewster Academy forward is coming off a weekend at EYBL Session 3 in Indianapolis where he averaged 12.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and shot 45% from the field and 6-of-21 from deep. Expressions Elite went 1-3 with a win over Team CP3 and losses to Team Durant, City Rocks and Team Herro on a last-second shot by Davion Hannah. Aristode was guarding Hannah on the game-winning and put up a great contest, but it didn’t matter.
Cronin, Lloyd, Forbes, Vandross and UConn head coach Dan Hurley traveled to see Aristode in person in Indianapolis during Session 3.
Aristode is ranked the No. 20 player in the class of 2025 by 247Sports and the No. 1 player in the state of New Hampshire. His three years of experience playing for Joventut in Spain is what he feels separates him as a prospect.
“My body, my athleticism and combine that with the IQ advantage from someone who played overseas,” Aristode explained. “I think that’s what stands me out the most.”
Unlike most high-rated prospects, Aristode also takes pride in defense. Assistants raved about his defensive prowess over the weekend and ability to guard one-through-five.
“I take pride in being able to defend,” Aristode said. “I want to play the two or three later in the future, but to be able to be that position, you also have to also guard that position. So I take pride in defense all around. Team overall defense, my individual defense. It’s just who I am.”
Aristode said one of his coaches on the Netherlands, as well as his dad, have instilled that defensive mindset in him.
“My dad used to be my coach,” Aristode said. “He always be mad when I don’t defend. If I want to shoot as much, I was going to defend as much. That’s his favorite quote. I also had a coach in the Netherlands named coach Dino who was always on my ass for that. No matter how much I scored if I don’t defend, I’m on the bench. If he gives other people that cannot defend then I’ll be like ‘why they get to play.’ So he saw a lot in me. Trusted me. Since that day, I never let up.”
Aristode’s dad played basketball at Montana State and for The Ivory Coast men’s national basketball team.
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