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Duke's Cayden Boozer Reveals Monumental Decision on Future

The rookie guard has announced his intentions for next season.
Hugh Straine|
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball as UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) defends in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) dribbles the ball as UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) defends in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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Duke Blue Devils

Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and the rest of his staff have dealt with a fairly uneventful offseason for the most part. So far, the Blue Devils have lost sophomore Darren Harris and freshman Nik Khamenia to the transfer portal.

Maliq Brown will also depart from the program, as he has exhausted all of his collegiate eligibility, and consensus top-three 2026 NBA Draft prospect Cameron Boozer will almost definitely be declaring.

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Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

However, Scheyer and Co. have now received the biggest news yet.

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Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard Dylan Darling (0) fouls Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Duke Point Guard Cayden Boozer To Return for Sophomore Season

Duke basketball point guard Cayden Boozer has announced that he will return for his sophomore year in Durham, a major development for the Blue Devils as they try to navigate through the offseason.

Boozer, a former 4-star prospect, came off the bench to begin the season, but as the 2025-26 campaign progressed, Scheyer began throwing more lineups on the floor with two guards at a time.

The Miami native averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 50.0% shooting from the field and 30.3% shooting from three-point range on 1.7 attempts a night.

However, where Boozer really began to shine was in the postseason, as he was handed the keys to the backcourt after veteran Caleb Foster went down with a foot fracture.

Foster suffered the injury in the Blue Devils' regular-season finale against North Carolina. As the only other true guard in the rotation, Boozer was then thrown into the fire to run the show in the backcourt.

In the five games Foster missed across the ACC and NCAA Tournaments, the 6'4" guard averaged 13.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while tallying 16 assists to nine turnovers. Boozer also played over 35 minutes in four of those contests.

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Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cayden Boozer (2) celebrates with Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) after scoring against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Outlook for Duke's Backcourt in 2026-27

As of now, it seems more likely than not that Foster will also be returning to Duke, paving the way for the Blue Devils to enter the 2026-27 season with arguably the best backcourt in college basketball.

In addition to Foster and Boozer, the Blue Devils are bringing in 5-star guard Deron Rippey Jr., the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247Sports 2026 Composite Rankings.

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Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) reacts during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the High Point Panthers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Now, Boozer's return could mean Duke's pursuit of Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell fizzles out, as adding another guard with the expectation that Foster will also return seems unnecessary.

Nonetheless, this is the biggest news so far for Scheyer and Co. in the offseason.

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Hugh Straine
HUGH STRAINE

Hugh Straine is an accomplished writer and proud Bucknell University alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. He has served as editor of The Bucknellian, worked as an analyst for ESPN+ and Hulu, and currently reports on college sports as a general reporter for On SI.