Duke basketball: Dariq Whitehead's status ahead of Virginia game
Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer has given similar updates on Dariq Whitehead's status across the five-star freshman forward's 2.5-week absence recovering from a left lower leg injury.
But the Whitehead update Scheyer provided on Thursday sounds a tad more promising. It comes as the Blue Devils (17-7, 8-5 ACC), 2-5 on the road and reeling from Monday night's 81-59 loss at the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes, prepare for a road matchup against the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers (18-4, 10-3 ACC) at 4 p.m. ET Saturday.
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"He's really progressed well," Scheyer said at his weekly press conference in Durham. "We didn't have contact yesterday; he was able to do everything. But today is the next step of being able to go through an entire practice. And then, we'll evaluate and talk afterward today.
"So he's right there. I don't want to say whether it's going to happen [at Virginia] or not; I want him to feel comfortable. And we need to huddle up with him and our staff and our medical team today and tomorrow to get a better feel."
There's no doubt Dariq Whitehead was heating up and gaining confidence prior to sustaining the injury during the 78-75 loss at Virginia Tech on Jan. 23. In his past six appearances, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound playmaker shot 14-for-30 from three (46.7 percent).
However, as Scheyer noted, there's far more to Whitehead's game than his 3-point stroke. Still, much of his potential as a Duke basketball weapon remains untapped when factoring in his absence from preseason practices and three missed games to start the season due to a fractured right foot.
"You can never have too much shooting," Scheyer explained. "And Dariq is more than just a shooter or scorer. He has a really, really good feel and great instincts for how to play the game. He's a really underrated passer — his versatility on defense.
"His thing has just been the continuity of practicing and playing. It's not ideal getting injured when he did preseason. And I thought he was starting to find his rhythm in that Virginia Tech game, and he gets hurt...He can really take our team to another level. And I'm anxious to get him back out there."
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