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Recapping Duke Basketball Summer Session

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Zach Kircher | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 7:21 PM ET

Jon Scheyer and crew have their work cut out for them to replicate the 2024-25 season. With 6 returning players, most of which saw minimal minutes, Duke has an entirely new rotation to find. Summer session has just wrapped up and it can start to provide some details into how the Blue Devils will function in 2025-26.

Duke Basketball Summer Session Headlines

Weight Room, Weight Room, Weight Room

Duke had major shoes to fill with previous Strength Coach William Stephens retiring this offseason. Scheyer chose to poach Preston Greene from Clemson which has seemed to work wonders. He is one of the most highly regarded strength and conditioning coaches in college sports and his impact is already being felt in Durham. The Blue Devils have been participating in “Strongman Fridays” where they can be seen pushing cars, flipping tires, carrying bags of sand, and so much more. The key to all of it is that it is happening together. Isaiah Evans made sure everyone knew it is scientifically proven that people can reach higher levels when they do things as part of a group of believers.

Look no further than Isaiah Evans. Evans put on plenty of muscle and it is obvious just from watching scrimmages. He was able to provide plenty of resistance to Cameron Boozer in the post often during their recent scrimmage. Duke will clearly be a very physical and tough team this year because of this strength program.

Cameron Boozer

If Cooper Flagg didn’t play in Durham last year, the buzz around Boozer would be astronomical. Boozer is a 6’10 230+ lb athlete that can handle the ball, shoot it, defend, playmake, and does nothing other than win. He also comes from an NBA family. He truly checks every single box and is expected to win ACC Rookie of the Year in a landslide.

In scrimmages and practice clips, you can see Boozer knocking down stepback threes, operating as the playmaker in a pick and roll, and also playing with his back to the basket. He will be the focal point of the Duke offense much like Flagg was last year. The one difference is he has significantly more size and strength. Whatever you have heard about how good Boozer is, is not enough.

Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald’s All Americans East forward Cameron Boozer (12), left, and East guard Cayden Boozer (2), right, sit on the court during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclay’s Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

Paul VI Boys

Patrick Ngongba and Darren Harris both appear to be in incredible shape. Both guys experienced some bad injuries at the end of their high school seasons which lingered into their freshman season and caused issues. Mainly, Ngongba and Harris both were not in usual playing shape. Just from videos this offseason, that is no longer true.

Harris in particular looks incredible. He has slimmed down but added muscle. He is flying around the court and looks very agile on his feet. There is no question, when healthy, Harris is one of the five best shooters in college basketball. He is another guy that will shock people with the amount of minutes he gets and production he puts up.

Ngongba has also looked great. He is moving well and using his impressive footwork better than ever. There is a viral clip of Isaiah Evans hitting a game-winner over Ngongba but I was impressed with how well Big Pat moved his feet to make that jumper extra tough for Slim.

Another angle of that @IsaiahEvans26 game winner! pic.twitter.com/r7DNWMSFm0

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) August 5, 2025

Cayden Boozer

Good luck keeping Cayden Boozer off the court. He is starting to look just like the Tyler Thornton’s, Matt Jones’s, and Jordan Goldwire’s of years past where he just earns minutes. The number of times that Coach Scheyer mentioned how consistent, steady, and smart Cayden was during their recent scrimmage was too high to count. As a freshman, that is how you earn minutes.

Boozer will be the backup point guard but he is going to be really hard to put on the bench. He has the same NBA DNA and winning attitude that will make his brother so good too. Cayden is going to surprise a lot of people in Durham. The backcourt is impressive with Boozer, Caleb Foster, Harris, and Slim.

Frontcourt Depth

Not all can be positive right? The Blue Devils are going to be thin on the front line this year. Ngongba will start with Boozer which will bring plenty of size and toughness. However, Big Pat has a tendency to foul. Behind him is Maliq Brown who is outstanding but has had his fair share of injury issues over the last 12 months. They are followed by Ifeanyi Ufochukwu who transferred in just to take some minutes off the main guys.

The scary part is 2 of the 3 main rotational guys have an injury history. Expect a lot of minutes at the five for Cameron Boozer. This means Sebastian Wilkins and Dame Sarr may need to spell some minutes at the four. Regardless, expect Duke to often switch one through five just like last year. Some zone defense would not be shocking either.

Duke Will Be Just Fine

The end of the most recent Duke Blue Planet video is Coach Scheyer sitting with the team telling them they have a chance to be really really good or just average. Yes, it is coach speak. However, Scheyer rarely sugarcoats things. Last year’s group was special. This year can be just as special. The talent will be on the court. The camaraderie appears to be there too. Now, they just need health and to put it all together.

The schedule is brutal and the lumps will come but they did last year too. Scheyer is building great rosters and the successes have been evident. They are knocking on the door. Scissors have been in hand. Just a few more steps…