Blue Devils Enter Season with Plenty to Prove

The Duke Blue Devils are looking to get off to a good start this season. They will have some challenges early on this season, but they are looking at that as a challenge to believe in important chemistry and play good basketball.

They have a good group of players this season, but they are also coming in with a lot of young, talented freshmen. Duke will once again be led mostly by a good freshman group, but you cannot count out the players who are returning.

One of the best freshmen is at Duke in Cameron Boozer, who also has a twin brother playing with this team as well. They have strong ties to the program, and they will look to bring another championship to Duke.

mnk — Oct 3, 2025; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) is introduced during player introductions at the Countdown to Craziness at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

"Less than a minute remained on the clock as Carlos Boozer grabbed the final rebound of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. He and his teammates dribbled out the game to secure an 82-72 victory over Arizona, clinching Duke’s third national championship title and a coveted banner in Cameron Indoor Stadium," said Abby DiSalvo of The Chronicle.

The Family Tradition Continues

Two and a half decades later, Boozer watched his son rise beneath the very same banner, slamming a dunk through contact to score the first unofficial points of Duke’s 2025-26 season. The Cameron Crazies roared to their feet, elated to watch another legacy cement his Blue Devil promise.

Dec 10, 2022; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Former Duke Blue Devils forward Carlos Boozer shoots a free throw for charity during half-time. Boozer was inducted into the 2022 class of the Duke Hall of fame at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images | Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

But after swishing his and-one, Cameron Boozer simply sprinted back down the court, already searching for other ways to light up the scoreboard.

“I know he's thinking about all the things he could have done better,” head coach Jon Scheyer said after the game. “That’s what makes him who he is.”

Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald’s All American East guard Cayden Boozer (2) prepares to shoot the ball during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclay's Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images | Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

Last season’s Blue Devils topped the charts in nearly every statistical category, losing only two of the 26 games they played after the new year. The team advanced to a Final Four before bidding farewell to five stars in the 2025 NBA Draft. Duke’s 2025-26 season begins in the shadow of that brush with glory, and some veterans wish the ghosts of the past would leave their new contingent alone.

“It's just a whole different team, different play style. We can learn some stuff, but we just have to create our own identity,” guard Caleb Foster said Sept. 24. “We're not really looking at the two last years on our journey.”

mkm — Duke guard Caleb Foster (1) moves the ball while guarded by Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0) in a college basketball exhibition game on October 26, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“We still have a chip on our shoulder from how it ended last year, just the guys that returned,” senior Maliq Brown said. “We're all competitors, so just knowing how we left off last year … We're going to lock in.”

"For Duke’s freshmen, who join the 2025-26 team in the footsteps of three All-ACC Rookies, the benchmarks only pile up from there."

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