Most of next year’s team is on campus now, and seven of the eight new players are getting incorporated and up to speed.
The one who’s not?
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who is currently playing in the Adidas Eurocamp, and apparently making a major impression.
As most Duke fans know by now, Boumtje Boumtje seems well ahead of the curve. The link above suggests that he’s showing great ability on both ends. He gets some mild criticism for not being physical enough, but the kid just turned 17. He has plenty of time to get that part of his game down.
If he picks that up quickly in the U.S., that would be a nice asset for the Blue Devils. Pat Ngongba can be physical, but at times that also gets him in foul trouble. That may not be as critical this year with two quality big guys, Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams, who can step up if Ngongba picks up some quick whistles.
There is one comment we see here that keeps getting repeated, and frankly, no offense to the author, but it’s stupid. That’s the idea that Boumtje Boumtje must spend two years in college. Well, no, he doesn’t.
The presumption is that no one would want to play anywhere else other than in college, but Boumtje Boumtje is clearly talented, and if he decided after one year that for whatever reason, he’d had enough of college basketball, he could easily sign a contract overseas and just wait 12 months or so for the next NBA Draft.
This is a poorly thought-out idea, and it needs to go away.
