Duke basketball: Will newcomer Christian Reeves redshirt?

Had Dereck Lively II played in Duke basketball's 16-minute Blue-White scrimmage in Cameron Indoor Stadium at Countdown to Craziness on Friday night, it's unlikely that fellow freshman center Christian Reeves would have enjoyed such a high level of success.

Even so, the night's most pleasant surprise was the efficient production from the 7-foot-1, 245-pound three-star out of Oak Hill Academy (Va.).

Across his 13 minutes on the floor anchoring the post for the winning Blue squad, Reeves scored 11 points. That total was second only to the 12 points from junior point guard and lone captain Jeremy Roach, who was also on the Blue roster and played all 16 minutes.

Reeves also collected five rebounds and blocked three shots while shooting 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe.

All that led fans on social media to wonder if he might earn a spot in the regular rotation for the Blue Devils this season despite the earlier expectation that he would redshirt.

In the locker room following the scrimmage, Christian Reeves told the media he still thinks he'll redshirt. That said, first-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer suggested it's no sure thing while praising the 18-year-old Charlotte native's development.

"Anything is on the table for us right now," Scheyer said after the scrimmage. "I'm proud of what he did. He had a couple of sequences there protecting the basket and running the floor. I don't know too many 7-foot-1 guys that can do that. The growth that he's made since stepping on campus until now has been incredible."

With that in mind, it sounds like Christian Reeves' Blue-White performance was not a complete shock to the coaching staff.

"He's kept his head down when he goes against [graduate transfer] Ryan Young and Dereck Lively every day. And for us, with being a little shorthanded right now, we need to evaluate everything. We'll work with Christian and his family on [whether he'll redshirt] and decide what's best. But I'm proud of how he played tonight. He's been showing flashes in practice, but to see him put it together in a moment like this in front of our fans in Cameron, that's a big deal."

Christian Reeves' next chance to shine in front of Cameron Crazies before the season begins will take place on Nov. 2 when the Blue Devils host Fayetteville State in the team's lone exhibition game.

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