3 Duke Basketball Freshmen Impress Jon Scheyer With Response to Not Playing

Duke basketball rookies Bryson Howard and Cameron Williams, who were both ranked among the top 25 recruits as five-star prospects in the 2026 cycle, could have committed to just about any other program in the country and probably been tabbed as centerpiece starters as soon as they stepped foot on campus. And chances are former four-star prep Maxime Meyer would at least be in the primary rotation right away at pretty much any other school.

But as members of a stacked 2026-27 Blue Devil squad, none of the three saw even a single minute off the bench in No. 2-ranked Duke's 79-73 loss to the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday night at the Champions Classic in Chicago's United Center.

Even so, it sounds like they didn't spend a single second sulking in practice this week. No, as fifth-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer explained in his presser following Duke's 90-47 home win over the unranked SIU Edwardsville Cougars on Friday night, all three chose a much more positive response to their lack of playing time against Michigan State.

"We had one of our best practices [on Thursday]," Scheyer noted in his opening statement after his fifth batch of Blue Devils improved to 3-1 this season with the blowout victory over SIUE. "I thought it was a great response. Usually, we have a scout team. We didn't have a scout team yesterday. We went body-on-body against each other. And the attitudes by all our guys, but in particular Cam Williams, Bryson Howard, and Maxime, was incredible.

"You know, to not play [against Michigan State] and then come back, and they had an incredible practice. I though Cam did some good things tonight."

Jon Scheyer Talks at Length About One Duke Freshman's Growth

Despite the lopsided score on Friday night, Bryson Howard and Maxime Meyer each played only single-digit minutes. Howard, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard from Texas and the son of former Wake Forest sensation and one-time NBA All-Star Josh Howard, went scoreless but grabbed three rebounds in the contest. Meyer, who hails from Toronto and is one of three 7-footers on the Blue Devils' roster, totaled four points, three boards, and one assist versus SIUE.

Max on the board! pic.twitter.com/LD9zVHyrHj
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 14, 2026

As for Williams, who arrived in Durham as the highest-ranked piece to Duke's heralded five-deep recruiting haul this summer at No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, the 7-foot, 215-pound forward from Arizona put forth a notably encouraging effort across his 14 minutes on floor. He finished with nine points, two rebounds, and three blocks, shooting 3-for-7 from the field, 2-for-4 beyond the arc, and 1-for-2 at the charity stripe.

"It's really just about the consistency and speeding up with the game," Scheyer said when asked where Williams needs to improve to continue earning more playing time. "And Cam, I'm just really proud of him because he's had a great attitude. Not playing isn't easy. Like, that's tough, and I've seen guys handle it all different kinds of ways. And he came back with an amazing attitude.

"I thought he had a chip on his shoulder in practice. Tonight, his rim protection, knowing where to be, knowing what to do, he's taken big steps. And he's going to keep getting an opportunity because, obviously, every day in practice, we believe in his long-term growth, and we just want to keep speeding it up..."

Friday night buckets pic.twitter.com/2aJhYUA6Ss
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 14, 2026

Jon Scheyer and his powerhouse program, which boasts the nation's longest home winning streak at 35 straight, are now preparing to host the No. 3-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

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