Duke opens its exhibition slate tomorrow night in Cameron Indoor against Belmont, coached by former Blue Devils assistant Evan Bradds. Jon Scheyer and Duke will enter the matchup likely without senior guard Caleb Foster, who reportedly tweaked his ankle in a recent practice and is expected to miss the game:
I have not really seen it reported here but my understanding is that Caleb Foster recently tweaked his ankle in a Duke practice and will miss some time. Still expected to be ready for the regular season but you will not see CFos against Belmont and Tennessee.
It’s also fair to wonder if Patrick Ngongba, who exited Saturday night’s scrimmage at the Countdown to Craziness event, will be held out, too. At the very least, Duke will face Belmont, and likely Tennessee, without their senior captain. That opens the door for sophomore Cayden Boozer and freshman Deron Rippey Jr. to have a golden opportunity to showcase their skills and earn bigger roles.
Caleb Foster is expected to miss Duke’s exhibition opener vs. Belmont on Thursday night
Rippey was one of the stars during the Countdown to Craziness, showcasing his elite athleticism, exceptional feel for the game, and unbridled confidence. He knocked down the game-winning three-pointer to give his team the win. It’s going to be difficult for Jon Scheyer to keep him off the court, and Rippey should see a lot of playing time against Belmont.
He’ll still likely come off the bench, however, with the sophomore Boozer sliding into the starting five. For Boozer, it’s a chance to show Scheyer that he should be the team’s starting point guard even when Foster is healthy.
Boozer is the team’s top playmaker, and if he can get the offense humming, he won’t be easy to shift back to the bench. Boozer turned a corner last season while Foster was banged up, playing exceptionally well during both the ACC and NCAA tournaments for the Blue Devils. This is a big opportunity for him to build on that.
The good news is that Foster’s injury is minor. He won’t play on Thursday and looks likely to be sidelined for Duke’s second exhibition game against Tennessee on October 20th. Duke has one more exhibition matchup on October 25th against Kansas, and I’m sure Scheyer would like to get Foster some reps before the regular season begins. But Foster is a veteran and will be fine either way. It helps that Duke has a couple of softball matchups against Army and Coastal Carolina to open the regular season before their first marquee matchup of non-conference action, a November 10th date with Michigan State in Chicago.
Duke has the depth to absorb a blow to the backcourt, and all eyes will be on Boozer and Rippey as they look to capitalize on the increased opportunity ahead of them.
