Dame Sarr Adds to Nearly Perfect Duke Basketball Offseason in Return for Sophomore Year

Mar 21, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) reacts after a play during the second half against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It’s been a nearly perfect offseason for the Duke basketball team after its crushing loss to UConn in the Elite 8 and Jon Scheyer is building a team that will have National Championship aspirations next season.

The most recent news was the return of freshman wing Dame Sarr for his sophomore season, which the program announced on social media on Friday afternoon.

DAME TIME YEAR 2️⃣‼️😈 pic.twitter.com/8ZSuYSqe35

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 24, 2026

Sarr joins Cayden Boozer, Caleb Foster, Sebastian Wilkins, and Patick Ngongba to return to the Blue Devils next season while the Blue Devils landed Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski.

Darren Harris and Nik Khamenia were the only players from last year’s team to enter the transfer portal while Isaiah Evans has already announced his intentions to enter the NBA Draft, and it is expected that Cameron Boozer will do the same ahead of the Friday night deadline.

It took time for Dame Sarr to get adjusted to college basketball after joining Duke from FC Barcelona last year, but his potential was never in doubt. He became one of the best and most versatile defenders in the country as his offensive game slowly developed.

In the end, he started 30 of 38 games and averaged 6.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 40.4-percent from the floor and 32.3-percent from 3-point range.

In Duke’s comeback win against TCU in the Round of 32, Sarr scored 14 points – making four 3-pointers -- to spark the Blue Devils and 10 points in its season ending loss to the Huskies.

Dame Sarr was named to the All-ACC Defensive Team this season and will be one of the frontrunners to be the ACC Defensive Player of the Year next season.

If Sarr can develop a more consistent offensive game he has the potential to be a first round pick in the 2027 NBA Draft but it will be a vital season for him in Durham next winter.