While all eyes are on the new additions to next season’s Duke basketball team, more important pieces fell into place this offseason.
After the 70-67 loss to Houston in the Final Four, all five of last season’s starters were selected in the first two rounds of the NBA draft. Cooper Flagg headlined the draft class as the No. 1 overall pick before Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach joined him in the first round. Sion James and Tyrese Proctor followed in the second.
Head coach Jon Scheyer immediately turned his attention to rebuilding his roster and making up for the loss of firepower.
But it’s the returners that will be the difference for this revamped Duke squad. Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans both elected to come back for their respective junior and sophomore seasons, while senior forward Maliq Brown is on his way back to full health.
“I’m really happy where we landed,” Scheyer said on Tuesday in his first media conference since the Final Four. “We doubled down on the positional size. We doubled down on versatility.”
Duke’s Maliq Brown (6) knocks the ball from the hands of Houston’s J’Wan Roberts (13) during the first half of Duke’s game against Houston in the NCAA men’s national semifinal at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, April 5, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Recovering from injuries
Following a surgery during the offseason, Scheyer said Brown is “weeks ahead of schedule” but is still in the rehab process. Brown will not practice full-contact for another four to eight weeks, but he’s back to shooting, ball-handling and passing.
Brown first dislocated his left shoulder in February against Virginia and missed four games. Then, during Duke’s ACC Tournament quarterfinals game against Georgia Tech, Brown dislocated the shoulder again.
After the second injury, he sat out the remaining two ACC Tournament games en route to Duke’s championship title as well as two NCAA tournament games. He returned in the Sweet 16 versus Arizona, playing limited minutes in the final three games of the season.
Brown said on The Brotherhood Podcast last Wednesday he returned to lifting in the weight room the previous week and felt like a “new man.”
“On a scale of one to 10, I want to say 10,” Brown said. “But from my trainers and stuff, the levels I keep adding on, they’d probably say like a seven.”
Although he recorded modest stats last season with 2.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, the 6-foot-9 forward emerged as a key defensive asset for Duke thanks to his ability to cause turnovers and deflect passes.
Brown will also be joined by 6-foot-11 sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II, who is finally fully healthy after battling foot injuries since high school. Ngongba averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in his first season with the Blue Devils, stepping up in Brown’s absence.
Both of those guys, not only did they play significant roles for us this past season with what they did,” Scheyer said, “but both of them are going to take a huge step forward with their offensive skill set, what they can do when they’re comfort[able] being in our program now for a year or so. They’re going to be a huge part of what we do.”
Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas, along with head coach Jon Scheyer, and associate head coach Chris Carrawell congratulate Isaiah Evans (3) as he comes off the floor in the second half of Duke’s 110-67 victory over Illinois in the SentinelOne Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
Re-recruiting returners
Scheyer met with Evans after the season. They talked about the possibility of next year. They talked about the draft. Evans was projected to be a mid-first round or second round pick. He had to decide what to do — head to the NBA or stay at Duke another year.
“It wasn’t just telling each other what we wanted to hear. It was about his life. This is an important decision for his life and what he does next,” Scheyer said, later adding, “He shouldn’t just be drafted. He should be ready when that time comes. I think he understood that he’s got to address some areas of his game. I had to show him just to get him to understand what that picture looked like.”
Evans decided to spend another season with the Blue Devils to prepare for the next level. In May, he withdrew his name from the draft.
The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 6.8 points per game on 43.2 percent shooting, but came up big for Duke in several key moments. Evans made six 3-pointers in the first half against Auburn in a December nonconference matchup and scored in double figures 11 times throughout the season. However, in the NCAA Tournament, Evans’ production slowed and minutes dwindled. He only played two minutes in the Final Four loss to Houston and did not attempt a basket.
basket.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer talks with Caleb Foster (1) during the first half of Duke’s game against Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer talks with Caleb Foster (1) during the first half of Duke’s game against Army at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Ethan Hyman ehyman@newsobserver.com
The other key returner, Foster, also met with Scheyer during the offseason as they both weighed his future at Duke — whether that involved entering the transfer portal or stepping up next season.
Scheyer said he viewed it as a two-way decision, meaning Foster could’ve decided to transfer or Duke could’ve decided to go find someone new.
“I loved the conversation with Caleb because it’s all about what he controls and what he has to do to make a bigger impact,” Scheyer said. “It wasn’t about promises. It wasn’t about anything other than what he has to do, what he controls and obviously the team we could potentially have.”
In April, Foster announced his plan to return to Duke for his junior season, despite an up-and-down sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-5 guard began last season in the starting lineup before being moved to a reserve role. He averaged 4.9 points per game and 14 minutes last season, dropping from his 25 minute and 7.7 point average during his freshman year.
Foster and Evans will look to carve out bigger roles on the court in the upcoming season, leading the new-look Blue Devils and young players
Columbus player Cameron Boozer (12) and brother Cayden Boozer (2) play during the Section 7 high school boys tournament at State Farm Stadium in 2023. Mark J. Rebilas USA TODAY Sports
New faces
Members of the top-ranked freshman class joined the Blue Devils this summer, including twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer and Italy’s Dame Sarr.
Cameron and Cayden Boozer follow in the footsteps of their father, Carlos Boozer, who played at Duke from 1999-2002 and 13 years in the NBA, earning him a spot in the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Cameron is the nation’s No. 3 recruit and No. 1 power forward, while Cayden is a four-star and top-four point guard.
Scheyer said their recruitment process was anything but normal. The twins are a package deal, and they already knew everything about Duke because of their dad. Scheyer also recruited them for a long time, which is rare in this era of college basketball.
“The reality is this had to be the best decision for them or they shouldn’t come here,” Scheyer said. “That’s what I tried to reiterate to them: They couldn’t come here for the wrong reasons. It was difficult because from a perception standpoint it’s like, ‘They’re just going to [go to Duke],’ which if you know them, they want to chart their own path of who they are as players.”
Sarr was a later pickup for Duke, after 6-foot-6 transfer forward Cedric Coward decided to remain in the 2025 NBA draft and not play for the Blue Devils next season.
The 21-year-old Coward spent the last year with Washington State until a shoulder injury forced him to redshirt. He entered the transfer portal and committed to Duke in late April, while also feeling out his draft prospects. Ultimately, he elected to stay in the draft and was selected with the No. 11 pick.
The Blue Devils shifted their focus to Sarr, a 6-foot-8 five-star with experience playing in the EuroLeague.
“He’s played at the highest level outside of the NBA,” Scheyer said. “I played in the ACB. I know firsthand, that’s not an easy thing. I was 24 at the time. He’s 18 or 19. Just watching him on film, seeing him play against Milan or seeing him play against different EuroLeague caliber teams just really impressed me. I think that translates well to college.”
