Virginia makes offer to another LA 4-star, wing Nikolas Khamenia

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia has returned to the West Coast in pursuit of a future wing player from the Los Angeles area, 6-foot-7 Nikolas Khamenia from Harvard Westlake High School.

Khamenia is a 4-star from the recruiting class of 2025 and averaged 23.6 points per game while playing “up” for the BTI United program on the New Balance NXT 17U circuit. He played on a team with four college-bound players, including former UVA point-guard prospect Trent Perry, who committed to Southern Cal.

Khamenia holds an impressive list of offers from UVA, Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Stanford, Utah, St. John’s, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota and UNLV. Gonzaga is considered the early leader. The forward is the Zags’ priority recruit and he has already officially visited the Bulldogs.

Khamenia is the 247Sports Composite’s No. 67 overall prospect in his class, the No. 15 power forward (although most consider him a small forward) and the No. 7 overall prospect in California. On3 ranks him the highest at No. 34 nationally.

“I’d describe my game as versatile,” Khamenia told On3. “My ability to dribble, pass and shoot, to play inside or outside. I grew up a huge fan of basketball. Being a little kid, you dream of all these schools offering you, and then having a chance to actually go there, it’s pretty cool.”

Khamenia said he’s looking for a school where he’ll be brought in with “welcome arms.”

“A place that is like a family on and off the court, where I can talk to the coach about anything,” he said. “I want to play for a coach that will utilize all my skills and my versatility.”

Khamenia’s father (Val Khamenia) is a coach for LA Valley College. Val, who is from Belarus, played at GW. His mom, who is also from Belarus, played high school basketball in Florida. Khamenia was born in LA.