Monday’s practice marked the official start of the Duke men’s basketball’s 2025-26 season. On Wednesday, players and coaches welcomed media members to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a series of press conferences and an open practice. Though the team will continue preseason preparation ahead of its first exhibition game Oct. 21 and first official contest Nov. 4, five early themes stood out:
The Blue Devils have five key players returning from the 2024-25 squad, which made it all the way to the Final Four in San Antonio. Headlining the veteran bunch is Caleb Foster, who returns to Duke for his junior year. During the offseason, speculation swirled around whether or not Foster would spend another campaign in Durham. Despite his up-and-down sophomore season, he decided to stay, citing the commitment he made in his initial recruitment and his wish to lead the team to a national championship.
“I don’t think it gets recognized enough when you have a guy come back for year three [and] five returning players,” head coach Jon Scheyer said. “I’m proud of that continuity that we have.”
Isaiah Evans also tested bluer waters last spring by entering his name into the NBA draft, but the sophomore ultimately decided that remaining at Duke another year and developing further as a player would be better for his career. Continued improvement remained at the core of offseason considerations for Blue Devil returners Patrick Ngongba II, Darren Harris and Maliq Brown as well. All three emphasized adding to their skill sets as they take on new leadership roles within the team.
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5 takeaways from Duke men’s basketball’s preseason media day
Monday’s practice marked the official start of the Duke men’s basketball’s 2025-26 season. On Wednesday, players and coaches welcomed media members to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a series of press conferences and an open practice. Though the team will continue preseason preparation ahead of its first exhibition game Oct. 21 and first official contest Nov. 4, five early themes stood out:
Continuity
The Blue Devils have five key players returning from the 2024-25 squad, which made it all the way to the Final Four in San Antonio. Headlining the veteran bunch is Caleb Foster, who returns to Duke for his junior year. During the offseason, speculation swirled around whether or not Foster would spend another campaign in Durham. Despite his up-and-down sophomore season, he decided to stay, citing the commitment he made in his initial recruitment and his wish to lead the team to a national championship.
“I don’t think it gets recognized enough when you have a guy come back for year three [and] five returning players,” head coach Jon Scheyer said. “I’m proud of that continuity that we have.”
Isaiah Evans also tested bluer waters last spring by entering his name into the NBA draft, but the sophomore ultimately decided that remaining at Duke another year and developing further as a player would be better for his career. Continued improvement remained at the core of offseason considerations for Blue Devil returners Patrick Ngongba II, Darren Harris and Maliq Brown as well. All three emphasized adding to their skill sets as they take on new leadership roles within the team.
Chemistry
In addition to the returners, the Blue Devils gained five star freshmen. Although having a young team might concern for some coaches, Scheyer isn’t worried. He discussed his philosophy of recruiting athletes for who they are as a player, rather than focusing on their age. This season’s iteration of Duke is thus, once again, a relatively young team.
But, even in only three days of practice, the chemistry between the returners and the newcomers was palpable. Several freshmen mentioned leaning on the older players for support and guidance as they adjusted to the world of college basketball. Cameron Boozer and Ngongba spoke about the ease they already feel in playing with one another, something Boozer attributed to their similar sizes and shared basketball IQ.
Monday’s practice marked the official start of the Duke men’s basketball’s 2025-26 season. On Wednesday, players and coaches welcomed media members to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a series of press conferences and an open practice. Though the team will continue preseason preparation ahead of its first exhibition game Oct. 21 and first official contest Nov. 4, five early themes stood out:
The Blue Devils have five key players returning from the 2024-25 squad,made it all the way to the Final Four in San Antonio. Headlining the veteran bunch is Caleb Foster, who returns to Duke for his junior year. During the offseason, speculation swirled around whether or not Foster would spend another campaign in Durham. Despite his up-and-down sophomore season, he decided to stay, citing the commitment he made in his initial recruitment and his wish to lead the team to a national championship.
“I don’t think it gets recognized enough when you have a guy come back for year three [and] five returning players,” head coach Jon Scheyer said. “I’m proud of that continuity that we have.”
Isaiah Evans also tested bluer waters last spring by entering his name into the NBA draft, but the sophomore ultimately decided that remaining at Duke another year and developing further as a player would be better for his career. Continued improvement remained at the core of offseason considerations for Blue Devil returners Patrick Ngongba II, Darren Harris and Maliq Brown as well. All three emphasized adding to their skill sets as they take on new leadership roles within the team.
In addition to the returners, the Blue Devils gained five star freshmen. Although having a young team might concern for some coaches, Scheyer isn’t worried. He discussed his philosophy of recruiting athletes for who they are as a player, rather than focusing on their age. This season’s iteration of Duke is thus, once again, a relatively young team.
But, even in only three days of practice, the chemistry between the returners and the newcomers was palpable. Several freshmen mentioned leaning on the older players for support and guidance as they adjusted to the world of college basketball. Cameron Boozer and Ngongba spoke about the ease they already feel in playing with one another, something Boozer attributed to their similar sizes and shared basketball IQ.
Of course, a main focus of the chemistry on the team is the relationship between twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer. The brothers recruited separately, but those individual journeys still led them both to Duke.
“It’s really the only time we’re really gonna be able to choose to play with each other,” Cayden Boozer said. “It felt right to come here and be able to play with my brother for one or two more years.”
The newly-assembled team that ran through drills in the open practice communicated with ease, giving off the impression that they had played together for years, not days. That preseason chemistry will carry the Blue Devils through the tough stretches of the upcoming season, which includes a gauntlet of a nonconference schedule.
During his press conference, it took Scheyer less than two minutes to begin talking about the basics of basketball. He emphasized that the team’s first practice focused on defensive fundamentals: guarding, rebounding and finishing possessions.
“It’s always going to be the backbone of who we are and what we do,” Scheyer said. “Our guys will tell you the first week of practice, it hasn’t been much offense. It’s been defense, and that’s how we’re going to win big games and have a successful season.”
That mentality, Scheyer said, permeated summer preparation as well. New assistant coaches Tyler Thornton and Evan Bradds supplemented an already-rigorous and stylized approach to each athlete’s improvement. Players worked through a detailed plan designed to help them improve on the building blocks of their game.
“We focused a lot on individual work and skill work over the summer and the preseason,” Harris said.
Though the emphasis on fundamentals over the summer was individual, it all came together in the open practice. Duke’s starting lineup remains unknown, but players showed a clear focus on mastering skills that will benefit the group as a whole.
Fitness
Perhaps most importantly, the Blue Devils made sure not to take a day off in the offseason. Nearly every player used the summer to hone their physical or mental endurance.
Foster, Harris and Ngongba put in extra hours at the gym, determined to improve their athletic abilities on the court. On Wednesday, Scheyer applauded Harris’ “real, serious, competitive approach” to his offseason fitness. Associate head coach Chris Carrawell noted that Foster spent practically his entire summer “in the gym, in the weight room, always on the court.” Ngongba dropped 16 pounds, dialing in on his physique ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Other players saw growth off the court. Brown, still recovering from a knee scope that will keep him out for the first several weeks of the season, discussed the importance of mental fortitude and resilience. Both have come to play an important role in his collegiate journey, which was marred last year with recurring shoulder injuries.
“I’m feeling 100% back with [the shoulder],” Brown said, forecasting a full return to the court after his knee heals. “So just getting focused [on] mental health and just ready for the season.”
At Wednesday’s open practice, it was Bradds who kicked things off for the Blue Devils, with Scheyer not walking in until the 10-minute mark. In the time before his arrival, Duke focused on the fundamentals it had lauded in the press conference: shooting and passing. The players showed off their newfound chemistry with effortless communication and vocal leadership as the Blue Devils flexed their basketball muscles, literally and figuratively.
Foster looked more confident on the court than he had in years past, while Cameron Boozer showed no indication that he was only a freshman. Harris, Evans and Ngongba appeared to embrace the bigger roles they envisioned taking on throughout the offseason.
Even as the athletes split into groups for stretches, drills and other practice basics, they looked like a cohesive unit — one full of room for growth, but also full of potential.
“It’s been an exciting time,” Scheyer said. “They’ve been a great group to coach.”
