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Duke Basketball: Time to Embrace Jeremy Roach's Incredible Ride
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Picture it. The time is March in 2021. Duke basketball is in the dumps; there's no other way to put it. Stud recruit Jalen Johnson abandoned the squad midseason, the Blue Devils are 62nd in the nation in points per game, and worst of all, they got pummeled by 18 at UNC to finish the regular season 11-11 and unworthy of an at-large bid.
Dark days indeed, especially considering the NCAA Tournament had just come off its first cancelation since its inception in 1939. The rest of the world was attempting to find a sense of normalcy again. There were no crowds in Cameron Indoor Stadium — or anywhere else, for that matter.
Games were canceled and postponed so often that it became weird to play a contest at the originally scheduled time.
Yeah, times were tough. But tough times make hard men.
Enter Jeremy Roach, a shy and quiet freshman from the D.C. area who, for the most part, flew under the radar during that 2020-21 campaign. Little did he know, he was about to embark upon arguably the strangest four years of any Duke basketball player in history.
Roach started 18 of 24 games as a freshman. However, he was never thought of as the guy on that team featuring Johnson and sophomore Matthew Hurt. But as alluded to earlier, Johnson bolted. And Hurt needed help.
Duke entered the ACC Tournament needing to win out to have any shot at reaching the Big Dance, and Roach took that challenge personally. His box scores were more or less average. He began showing things, though, that don't show up on a box score: locking up opposing ball handlers, getting the troops organized, and exhibiting poise.
The Blue Devils played their best two games of the year, beating Boston College and Louisville. Duke fans had a flame of hope, previously all but nonexistent that season. Needing three more wins, their thoughts turned into "Why not?"
Fate, however, is a cruel mistress. Before their quarterfinal matchup, a positive COVID-19 test forced Duke to withdraw, thus ending the Blue Devils' season. A bitter ending to a weird and miserable year.
Hurt went pro. Freshmen Jaemyn Brakefield and Henry Coleman transferred. Mark Williams stayed, a delight considering how much he had been improving late in the year.
Know who else came back? Jeremy Roach.
Loyalty is a central theme throughout his now-storied Duke basketball career. He chose to stay, knowing the Blue Devils had a 2021 recruiting class full of lottery talent and likely figuring he would be a fourth or fifth option. Those things that so often send players scurrying to the transfer portal didn't phase Roach.
His patience paid off. Duke had a fabulous 2021-22 season, going 26-5 in the regular season.
Of course, that year was not without rough spots. Every Carolina fan alive or dead had the best March of their life. Yes, the Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils in the regular-season finale — Mike Krzyzewski's final home game. Then, following Duke's blazing run to the Final Four, UNC ended Coach K’s career.
Through all this craziness, including the Blue Devils' nail-biter against Michigan State, absolute slugfest against Texas Tech, and beautiful win over Arkansas, Duke fans found out how clutch Roach can be. A shot-clock buzzer beater late against Michigan State. Timely second half baskets against Texas Tech. Solid leadership against Arkansas.
Following the disappointing exit, the majority of the team once again pursued other opportunities. Yet Roach stayed. He knew he'd have to change his role in the program, taking on more of a direct leadership role with the new crop of talented players incoming.
No reason to expect anything other than steadfast readiness from Captain Roach. He went from a facilitator and big-time shot-maker to the second option on the squad.
His points per game jumped from 8.6 as a sophomore to 13.6 as a junior. And he seemed to find his voice in a room full of loud guys, all set against the change of command from the game's all-time wins leader to the young Jon Scheyer, who needed a holdover and veteran leader to lean upon during his precarious first year.
Those Blue Devils were successful but never seemed able to get over the hump, going 27-9 in an injury-plagued season. Nevertheless, Roach was the go-to guy when the clock got close to zero, as he and freshman big man Kyle Filipowski put on a show in the ACC Tournament, hanging a banner in Cameron for Scheyer's inaugural run.
The senior swan song has yet to reach a conclusion for Jeremy Roach. He has maintained his numbers with 14.3 points and 3.1 assists per game, remaining the most clutch option on a solid squad that has gone 24-6 so far this season. He's battled through injuries, both to himself and seemingly everyone else on the roster.
Heading into Saturday night's home tilt with North Carolina, Roach looks to end his career in Cameron with a dub. He does have a year of eligibility remaining if he so chooses, but the common sentiment in the Duke universe tends to lean towards him leaving after the season.
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Let’s be absolutely clear here: Saturday night should be a Cameron lovefest for Jeremy Roach, a pure display of appreciation for a man whose Duke career has been defined by change. Change in himself and everything around him.
Roach is a constant, like an extension of Krzyzewski and Scheyer. He's a calm yet confident leader. And make no mistake: there is not another pulse playing Division 1 basketball today that Scheyer would rather have leading his troops into battle.
Fans can only hope the 22-year-old gets what he deserves at the end of his last ride: the chance to raise a sixth national championship banner in Cameron. After all, things change in basketball and life, but Duke basketball excellence and Jeremy Roach's legacy should be everlasting.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball news.
