Duke Basketball Enjoys Many 'Firsts' Among New Arrivals

First-year Duke basketball talents were able to shake off any jitters by recording their first unofficial stats as Blue Devils.

Duke basketball center Maxime Meyer in the locker room following the Blue Devils' 102-62 scrimmage win over Belmont on Thursday, Oct. 8 | Matt Giles-Duke Blue Devils On SI

Yes, most of the deep cast of Duke basketball newcomers were available to play in the Blue-White scrimmage on Oct. 3 during Countdown to Craziness. That said, no doubt there's something different about a player getting to see the court and produce for the first time against a visitor in Cameron Indoor Stadium and to do so in front of the famed Cameron Crazies.

Thursday night's 102-62 scrimmage victory over visiting Belmont provided such an opportunity, albeit with none of the countless overall contributions from the new Blue Devils in that blowout counting toward their season stats.

As a former Duke basketball player himself, it's no surprise that fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer smiled during his postgame press conference when asked to explain his feelings from watching his latest collection of newcomers record personal firsts in Cameron.

"I was excited for them," noted the 39-year-old Scheyer, whose "firsts" as a Blue Devil around this time 20 years ago ultimately led to a national championship four years later as a senior to cap off a prolific career that included becoming the only Duke basketball player in history to total at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 250 threes, and 200 steals.

Following tonight's win over Belmont, I asked Jon Scheyer how it felt, as a former Duke basketball player himself, to watch so many of his newcomers record their "firsts" as a Blue Devil against an opponent and in front of the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd.

"It's what playing at… pic.twitter.com/9hNzIktgWG

— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) October 9, 2026

"You know, I was excited for them because you have goosebumps — nervous feeling before the game — and I know they were feeling it too, no matter what. So, I think it was good for us just to feel that. And I thought they did really good things. I was happy that each of them had a moment, or obviously there's more than one just moment, but it's what playing at Duke is all about, to be out there.

"And I was proud of them."

Cayden x Bash x JB after the dub pic.twitter.com/VbuA7uHZCy

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 9, 2026

Duke Basketball 7-Footer Maxime Meyer Reacts to Memorable Firsts

Three of the newly arrived Duke basketball talents finished with double-digit points against Belmont: freshman guard Deron Rippey Jr. (11), senior transfer guard John Blackwell (17), and freshman forward/center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (19). But three more newcomers scored and had other memorable "first" moments to relish from the experience, including another promising effort by freshman big man Maxime Meyer.

"Obviously, [the first-bucket feeling] is unreal, man," the 7-foot-1, 225-pound Toronto native told Duke Blue Devils On SI in the locker room and with a smile on his face after finishing the scrimmage against Belmont with four points on 2-for-3 shooting from the field to go along with his four rebounds and one steal across 13 minutes off the bench. "I'm just so, so, so grateful and happy to be here, every chance I get to get out there.

"And we really felt the love today..."

missed this energy 🔋🔋🔋🔋🏰 pic.twitter.com/5bXHtxGRZA

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 9, 2026

Meyer and the rest of Scheyer's fifth Duke basketball squad will get a chance to feel the preseason love from the Crazies again when they host the Tennessee Volunteers for an exhibition bout in Cameron on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network).