Duke Basketball Highlights Star Newcomer's Remarkable Leadership

Thanks in large part to the halftime speech of Duke basketball freshman forward Cameron Boozer on Sunday night, the preseason No. 6-ranked Blue Devils quickly overcame a six-point halftime deficit in their eventual 83-76 exhibition road win over the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers to finish 2-0 in their preseason slate.

It sounds like "communication on both ends" was the focus of the 18-year-old Boozer's impromptu message to his teammates at the time. And the Blue Devils responded with a 23-9 run out of the gates in the second half, and they never looked back.

Duke basketball forward Cameron Boozer — Duke forward Cameron Boozer (12) tries to get around Tennessee forward Cade Phillips (12) during a college basketball exhibition game on October 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Talk to each other," Boozer said, highlighted in the following social media post by the Duke basketball account on Tuesday night, before the five-star talent and projected one-and-done lottery pick finished the night with 24 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and one steal against the Vols.

"That's all it is. Talk to each other. If you can't get there...y'all got to talk to each other. We're good. We're right here. We didn't have a good half, and we're down six, dog. Come on..."

The leadership by a freshman in his 1st true road environment 🫡🫡

Cam Boozer checks every box ✅ pic.twitter.com/ZN0yURxgdo
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 29, 2025

The Program's Confidence

As the Duke basketball social media team noted in the post, "Cam Boozer checks every box."

Of course, fourth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer didn't forget to point out the impact that Cameron Boozer had on winning via his advanced skills on the floor.

"Cam just battled," Scheyer explained in his postgame press conference. "He just competed every play. And I think his toughness to overcome making mistakes is unique for a freshman. I think knowing him, he's going to be critiquing himself, even though he had 24, 23, and six, with one turnover."

"He just carried us the whole way. His competitive spirit, his rebounding, cleaning up on the glass, and then being able to go inside and get key baskets. Look, he drew six fouls in the game, so that's a big thing as well."

every bucket from the exhibition win over the Vols pic.twitter.com/0uE31OhIjz
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 27, 2025

In the Blue Devils' first exhibition bout, a 96-71 home victory over the UCF Knights, Boozer totaled 33 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists across his 31 minutes on the court.

Cameron Boozer, son of Blue Devil legend and former two-time NBA All-Star forward Carlos Boozer, and the rest of Scheyer's impressive bunch tip off their loaded regular season schedule when they face the Texas Longhorns in Charlotte's Spectrum Center at 8:45 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

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