Duke returns four starters after losing 19-point lead to UConn
Coach Jon Scheyer faces a roster without Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer, relying on experienced players to replace elite individual production.
By Fatou Kim ·
Duke Blue Devils led the Connecticut Huskies by 19 points in the Elite Eight last year. That cushion vanished when Braylon Mullins drained a 35-foot buzzer-beater, ending Duke's season. The loss capped a campaign that also saw the team surrender a nine-point lead in the final two minutes of a Final Four defeat to Houston.
Head coach Jon Scheyer enters his fifth season with a roster that retains four players who started at least 11 games last year. This stability contrasts sharply with the 2025-26 season, which featured no returning starters. The current group includes senior guard Caleb Foster, junior big man Patrick Ngongba II, sophomore wing Dame Sarr, and sophomore Cayden Boozer. Duke also adds redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins and transfers John Blackwell from Wisconsin and Drew Scharnowski from Belmont.
The Blue Devils are bringing in the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the country. It is led by Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, a 7-foot-2 17-year-old who won MVP honors at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague finals and the FIBA U17 Men's World Cup. Despite this depth, the team lacks the singular statistical dominance of previous seasons. Cooper Flagg won the Wooden Award before being selected No. 1 in the NBA draft. Cameron Boozer averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists before being picked No. 3 in June.
Scheyer said the challenge is replacing the consistency and baseline production provided by Flagg, Boozer, and Kon Knueppel. "Cooper, Cam, Kon, they gave us such a high floor," Scheyer said. "We got to find out where our high floor is." He noted that the returning players must provide stability while the new group finds its rhythm. The transfer portal was used to add Blackwell, described as the best guard available, to replace lost firepower.
Scheyer turned down an opportunity to join the Dallas Mavericks in June. The Mavericks had gauged his interest before hiring Dusty May from Michigan. Scheyer said he felt "way stronger now than I ever have" at Duke. He emphasized that the team must compete in practice to maintain high standards. "My message to them is that complicated things don't get you beat. It's the simple things," Scheyer said.
Associate head coach Chris Carrawell compared the internal competition to the late 1990s Duke teams under Mike Krzyzewski. "Our practices, man, we've had some so far in the summertime and now in the fall, we've had some competitive practices," Carrawell said. The team is preparing to define roles for a roster that may not have a clear-cut All-American star, relying on collective effort instead.
Scheyer has reviewed the UConn loss extensively, taking notes and showing clips to the players. Cayden Boozer, whose turnover preceded Mullins' winning shot, viewed the moment as a learning experience. "Obviously, it's a tough moment," Boozer said. "I think what was tougher for me was just the fact that we lost."
