For Harvard-Westlake students, the summer after junior year is often known as one of the busiest. Some attend pre-college programs, others apply for internships and everyone works on their college applications. But this summer, boys’ basketball forward Nikolas Khamenia ’25 had gold medals in sight.
Khamenia first attended a five-day training camp in Colorado Springs, where he made it through two cuts to be selected for the Men’s U18 National Team . The team competed in the U18 AmeriCup in Buenos Aires, Argentina from June 3- 9. Over six games in the capital, Khamenia averaged 7.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game according to fiba.basketball. The team went undefeated during the tournament and in the gold medal match against Argentina, Khamenia put up 11 points and eight rebounds to help the team win gold.
Khamenia said he enjoyed playing with other talented players nationwide, such as Derrion Reid who now plays at the University of Alabama and Darius Acuff of IMG Academy.
“It was super cool to have those kinds of guys on my team,” Khamenia said. “Going against them in practice every day, I grew as a player. I learned a lot from them.”
The senior forward took his experience from Argentina with him to the PRO16 League Finals in Indianapolis in late July. PRO16 is a league consisting of top teams from the Puma circuit. His team, BTI, went into the tournament as the top seed and went on to win the finals. Khamenia was awarded tournament MVP for his contribution to the team.
Khamenia, who has played with BTI since eighth grade, said winning the tournament with his longtime teammates and coaches was especially meaningful.
“Robert Icart was one of the first people who believed in what I’d become,” Khamenia said. “So winning that with my teammates was a full-circle moment for me.”
After winning the PRO16 league championship, Khamenia thought his business was done. While on vacation in Mexico with his family, Khamenia had started doing workouts following a two-week break from basketball. He got in the car with his dad after a lift, when he found out the news: Team USA had called again, asking for Khamenia to join the 3×3 U18 National Team.
“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Khamenia said. “I was shocked, but at the same time, it was like ‘Alright, cool. I have to do this. There’s no way I’m saying no to that.’”
After returning from Mexico, Khamenia headed for Germany where he practiced twice a day at training camp for the week. The following week, the national team went to compete in the FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup hosted in Debrecen, Hungary.
Khamenia would go undefeated with Team USA once again, finishing with a record of 7-0 at the tournament. In the opening match against the host nation Hungary, Khamenia scored 14 points, assisting his team in a 21-15 win. He was also vital to the team during the championship match, scoring nine points in a thrilling 21-17 win over Spain. Khamenia was the top scorer and earned himself MVP honors of the tournament.
Becoming a world champion wasn’t the only thing Khamenia experienced while in Europe. The four-star recruit said he also enjoyed his trip because he got the opportunity to learn more about his European heritage.
“That was a super cool experience being in Europe, close to where my parents are from,” Khamenia said. I got to see their culture and eat the same food my mom has made me for a long time. And then the basketball part of it, winning two gold medals in one summer is not something many people can do.”
Khamenia said he noticed major differences in play styles between a three-on-three and five-on-five setting.
“Three-on-three is fast paced, and you have to play with a lot of IQ,” Khamenia said. “You can’t just win based on athleticism and size, so you had to learn a lot of different roles. Going to three on three, I learned a lot about myself. It helped me play more free, and you can play without double teams so it’s easier to score than in five-on-five.”
Now a two-time gold medalist for Team USA, Khamenia said it was an honor to represent the United States.
“It’s something not a lot of people have a chance to do,” Khamenia said. “You have to wear it with pride, and you have to also represent the country that you play for, so you have to do it with class. But it’s a super cool experience to wear the same jersey as guys like LeBron and Anthony Davis.”
Khamenia’s stock as a recruit grew significantly this summer, as he rose in the national rankings to 35th in the class of 2025, according to ESPN. Khamenia received several Division 1 offers from top schools in the country, notably Duke, Texas, Purdue and the University of North Carolina (UNC). Recently, he has narrowed his list down to five schools: Duke, UNC, Arizona, Gonzaga and UCLA.
Khamenia said he anticipated the recent attention he has received as a recruit.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Khamenia said. “I knew there was going to be a time when that happened. I feel like going to Team USA, there were a lot of coaches and NBA scouts that have been in our practices, so it gave me the platform to be in front of those kinds of people. And I feel like that’s how it really happened for me.”
The boys’ basketball team will begin their season this winter as reigning back-to-back state champions, with Khamenia as one of two returning starters. The Wolverines will compete in a newly transformed Mission League, with many players transferring into powerhouses Sierra Canyon and Notre Dame.
“I really can’t wait,” Khamenia said. “I think a lot of people are downgrading the team we have this year. Being in practice with those guys already, I can just tell how good we are going to be, and there’s not one mindset on the team besides winning a third championship. We have to be focused on work every day, like we’re playing tomorrow, we’re playing today for a third championship.
Khamenia’s resume is undoubtedly one of the best in the country. It’s hard to find a two-time state champion and two-time gold medalist anywhere else. These goals were once a dream for Khamenia, but he worked to make them a reality.
“It goes to show that if you put the work in for the things you dream about, they are going to end up working out for you,” Khamenia said. “I have a list at home, and I write goals down that I want to achieve. Sometimes you don’t even think those might be attainable, but you just work for them, not even really caring about how long it’s going to take or how hard you have to work. You do it for the love of basketball. You do it because you want to be great at something.”
This story originally appeared in the fall edition of Big Red. Find the issue here.
