Mike Krzyzewski Names Duke’s ‘Greatest Participant’ With out Hesitation

[ad_1] The No. 6 Duke Blue Devils are off to a 2-0 begin to the 2025 faculty basketball season.

Whereas head coach Jon Scheyer nonetheless has some returning items from final season’s Last 4 staff, which was headlined by freshman sensation and 2025 No. 1 total decide Cooper Flagg, the Blue Devils have shortly shifted the highlight to the subsequent wave of gifted freshmen.

On Monday, throughout an look on CBS Sports activities’ Jon Rothstein podcast, legendary former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski singled out the Blue Devils’ clear greatest participant this season: five-star freshman Cameron Boozer, who has already been spectacular by two video games.

“It’s completely different than final 12 months, which it ought to be. I feel we’re gonna be actually good. Cam is our greatest participant,” Krzyzewski stated. “He’s approach forward of his age. He has the physique of a person. As large as he's, he has nice toes… and he understands the sport. He’s actually an clever participant.

"I haven’t seen all of the gamers in faculty basketball but, however he needs to be as distinctive as anybody, and we’ll see if he’s higher than everybody. However he’s proper there," Kryzewski added. "He rebounds like loopy, he’s a double-double man, and he can actually go too. Don’t be shocked if we see his first triple-double quickly.”

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Krzyzewski coached lots of the best gamers in Duke historical past throughout his 42 seasons with this system earlier than retiring after the 2022 season and handing the reins to Scheyer, who has seamlessly maintained the tradition and success of certainly one of faculty basketball’s elite applications.

When Krzyzewski speaks, folks hear—and he has persistently praised Duke’s freshman lessons. Final 12 months’s group, led by Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach, all turned lottery picks after guiding the staff to an ACC regular-season and convention event title, culminating in a Last 4 look the place they fell to Houston.

<img id="11023404" alt="" caption="SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 06: Mike Krzyzewski looks on during the 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on September 06, 2025 in Springfield, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)" captionoverride="SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 06: Mike Krzyzewski looks on during the 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on September 06, 2025 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Image" credit="" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="5381" height="3587" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" src="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=640&quality=75&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=750&quality=75&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=1000&quality=75&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=1200&quality=75&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=1360&quality=75&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=1600&quality=75&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/GettyImages-2234066697.jpg?w=1600&quality=75&webp=1"/> This 12 months, Cameron Boozer, son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer, is at present averaging 20.0 factors, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per recreation. He additionally has a twin brother, Cayden Boozer, who has contributed 8.0 factors, 5.0 rebounds, and three.5 assists per recreation.

Past the Boozer twins, Duke returns key gamers Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, Maliq Brown, and Patrick Ngongba, all of whom will play pivotal roles. Freshmen Dame Sarr and Nikolas Khamenia have already carved out early-season roles, giving the Blue Devils a balanced mixture of veteran management and gifted newcomers.