DURHAM, N.C. – Dame Sarr was playing in Spain’s top professional league in the spring when he plotted a course once forbidden by NCAA rules.

He was going to play college basketball at Duke.

“I always felt like this was my dream school,” the Italian wing said. “And when I got the opportunity to come here, for me it was a no-brainer.”

Now the Blue Devils freshman is part of the influx of international players – many having played professionally, notably in Europe – entering the sport this year. That wave arrives in the first months of the revenue-sharing era, with schools able to directly pay athletes after a judge approved the $2.8 billion House antitrust settlement in July.

That meant the door was ajar for international prospects to come to the U.S. and play more – and make much more money – than developing through, say, the junior ranks of a European club.

“Players get offers 10 times higher than in Europe,” international sports agent Misko Raznatovic said in a recent email to The Associated Press. “So it is a very easy decision ... for the players and their families.”

For college coaches, it’s triggered a gold rush for basketball talent.

“Literally we’re going to be playing against professional players this year,” said Duke’s Jon Scheyer, who added Sarr this season after losing all five starters from a Final Four team. “So that’s a different thing.

“Again, when you see the rules of eligibility, the way it used to be, that’s out the window. So you might as well look for anybody in Europe and try to get them to come over.”

Wide reach

In a look at 247Sports’ national recruiting classes, 13 schools with top-20 classes brought in at least one prospect from outside the U.S., a list that includes the sixth-ranked Blue Devils, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 13 Arizona, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 19 Kansas and No. 25 North Carolina. That’s more than the previous two years combined (seven in 2024, four in 2023).

“The best players in the NBA are European players now,” said Illinois Coach Brad Underwood, whose 17th-ranked Fighting Illini brought in 6-9 forward David Mirkovic from Montenegro and 6-2 guard Mihailo Petrovic from Serbia. “We’re following a trend.”

Sarr, a 6-8 wing, started for Duke and had eight points in Tuesday’s win against Texas. At Arizona, 6-7 forward Ivan Kharchenkov – who first joined Bayern Munich’s senior team in Germany in 2022 at age 16 – had 12 points and 10 rebounds as a starter in Monday’s takedown of third-ranked and reigning national champion Florida.

The reach goes beyond schools atop the recruiting leaderboard.

The No. 2 prospect in 247Sports’ international list is Virginia Tech’s Neoklis Advalas, a 6-9 Greek guard who had eight points and nine assists in his debut against Charleston Southern. No. 11 Louisville (6-11 forward Sananda Fru from Germany) and No. 20 Auburn (6-8 forward Filip Jovic from Serbia) also started international prospects making college debuts on opening night.

Mutual benefit

Arizona State Coach Bobby Hurley opened his 11th season with two new international starters in 7-1 center Massamba Diop (Senegal) and 6-11 forward Andrija Grbovic (Montenegro) against Southern Utah. He saw some of that as a response to economics of players moving through the transfer portal.

“It was very expensive for American players,” Hurley said. “And international players are very happy making a significant bump from when they were in Europe. ... We felt like getting those guys that have played a couple of years professionally could make an impact.”

Raznatovic, whose clients include three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, said he also sees a benefit from the European side.

He pointed to a “lack of the possibilities” for younger players to develop there behind older talent on senior teams in top leagues. Instead, they can get valuable minutes in U.S. college basketball – with the money only making it more enticing.

Making it work

Still, it all requires navigating U.S. immigration laws, contracts with international clubs, the NCAA eligibility process and school admissions.

And not everything goes seamlessly in this newly widened avenue.

Consider 22-year-old North Carolina wing Luka Bogavac, who played 55 games in the past two seasons in Montenegro and the Adriatic Basketball Association. He was admitted to school and cleared by the NCAA to compete as a junior, yet his status remained uncertain because of a school-level eligibility issue resolved only hours before Monday’s opener against Central Arkansas, a 94-54 win for the Tar Heels.

Arizona ran into delays in getting a student visa for Senegalese forward Sidi Gueye, who had played for Real Madrid in Spain’s top pro league and had a delayed arrival in Tucson.

Or there was new NC State Coach Will Wade describing a round-the-clock process to have 6-10 forward Musa Sagnia – a native of Gambia who had also played in Spain’s top league – enrolled in time for the fall semester.

“We got him here by about 12 hours,” said Wade, praising everyone from top athletics administrators to academics officials and the school’s Office of International Services. “Everybody did everything they could to make it work.”

Arizona forwards Ivan Kharchenkov (8) and Tobe Awaka (30) contest for a rebound against Florida center Micah Handlogten, second from left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

North Carolina guard Luka Bogavac (44) drives against Central Arkansas guard Ty Robinson, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood reacts during an NCAA college basketball game against Jackson State, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Craig Pessman)