Duke Basketball Players Name Program Legends They Hope to Meet

On Thursday afternoon in Washington, D.C., ahead of the No. 1 overall seed Duke basketball team's Sweet 16 opportunity against the No. 5 seed St. John's Red Storm in Capital One Arena at 7:10 p.m. ET Friday (CBS), Duke Blue Devils On SI had the chance to chat with a few Blue Devils before they took the floor for practice. As part of those interviews, each was asked which of the program's former stars they'd most like to meet.

Beginning with Duke basketball sophomore wing Isaiah Evans, referred to by some as "Baby Ingram" when he was a five-star prep at North Meck High School (N.C.), it should come as no surprise that he picked a fellow North Carolina native in 2015-16 Blue Devil one-and-done and active two-time NBA All-Star forward Brandon Ingram. However, Evans went back decades in naming his other choice, two-time national champion point guard Bobby Hurley, the head coach at Arizona State until recently.

Here's my full chat with Isaiah Evans in the Duke basketball locker room today (interviews with others and my question to Jon Scheyer still to come shortly). At the end of this talk with Evans, I asked him which Blue Devil great he'd most like to meet or get to know better, and I… pic.twitter.com/Q7tEGGKoUE
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) March 26, 2026

"I don't think I've had, like, a real conversation with Brandon Ingram," Evans told Duke Blue Devils On SI. "I met his dad at the hotel one time. I don't think I've ever really, like, seen [Brandon Ingram] in person.

"But I also would [like to talk to] Bobby Hurley."

More Dream Duke Basketball Meetups

Another answer that wasn't shocking at all came in the form of sophomore shooting guard Darren Harris naming 2002-06 Duke basketball sharpshooter and all-time leading Blue Devil scorer JJ Redick, a former 15-year NBA player now in his second season as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

I had a nice, long chat with Duke basketball sophomore Darren Harris today. Included in that is me asking the sharpshooter which Blue Devil legend he'd like to talk to more. His answer should come as no surprise!😈🏀🗣📹⬇️ pic.twitter.com/sYBAqSxSQV
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) March 26, 2026

"I met JJ Redick, but I think talking to him more individually would be cool," Harris explained. "I like the swag he used to play with, the swag he coaches with, the confidence he coaches with. I would like to just pick his brain a little bit."

As for Duke basketball senior defensive menace Maliq Brown, the seasoned forward and lifelong Blue Devil fan noted that he'd most like to meet a 2010-11 one-and-done point guard in Durham, Kyrie Irving, a nine-time All-Star and one-time NBA champ.

I talked to Duke basketball gem Maliq Brown for a minute today (pretty much the same questions I asked Isaiah Evans, Cayden Boozer, and Darren Harris, as that's typically my style when I talk to multiple players in the locker room because it's fun for me to compare their… pic.twitter.com/ZkCI9TO9H8
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) March 26, 2026

"I would say Kyrie," Brown, now the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year, said. "I've always watched him. You know, he's a wizard with his handles. I would say Kyrie."

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