How freshman Dame Sarr can make a difference for No. 6 Duke this season
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Dame Sarr supplies defense and athleticism, sparking Duke off the bench
- He hits threes and made free throws that helped give Duke a lead
- Coaches expect Sarr to impact games defensively while developing within Duke system
Mention to Duke’s Isaiah Evans that teammate Dame Sarr speaks six languages, and he’ll quickly break into a smile.
“He only has to speak one,” Evans said Saturday after No. 6 Duke earned a 91-87 road victory over Florida State at the Tucker Center.
What they both understand is the language of basketball. They also play a similar brand of basketball, two lean small forwards trying to use their quickness to make a difference in games.
Evans did that Saturday with 28 points. The sophomore they call “Slim” arguably had his best game of the season, going 6-of-14 from 3 and making all six of his free throws.
Sarr came off the bench ready to energize the team and was all over the court making plays. He scored 13 points in 23 minutes, matched his season high with a three made 3-pointers and was a team-best plus-9 for the game.
“Dame, for the minutes he gave us, was critical,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I thought he was a big-time competitor today.”
How Dame Sarr came to Duke
Sarr, 19, was seen as potentially a critical addition for the Blue Devils when the native Italian decided to make the move to Duke and college basketball. He had been starting for FC Barcelona’s first team in Spain’s top professional league, but left the team to attend the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit and eventually parted ways with FC Barcelona.
Next stop: Duke.
“Dame, for us, is a great defender. A great defender,” Scheyer said. “But there’s just such a great adjustment going from Europe and playing at the highest level and going to college. He just had to really throw himself into working every day and focusing on what he’s really good at, which is his defense and activity.
“And I think he’s just learned how to play to what his strengths are, and tonight is a great example of that. He gave us a different dimension that we probably don’t have with his athleticism and his ability to guard.”
Sarr the shotmaker
Sarr gave the Blue Devils their biggest lead of the game Saturday, hitting a pair of free throws and then a jumper from the left wing in transition as Duke moved ahead, 74-65, with 8:39 left.
Sarr said he is “super happy” with the way things have gone in his first year. He has started eight games, has gotten about 20 minutes a game in playing time and showed out a little in Duke’s blowout win against Army West Point with 19 points.
“When I made the decision to come I felt, one hundred percent, that I was sure and this was the best place for me,” Sarr said. “For me, I’m not looking at the results but taking it every day to get better, you know, and then everything will fall into place.”
Evans, like Scheyer, talked Saturday of the impact Sarr can have in a game. “When he’s hitting shots, it’s great, but I think when Dame really impacts the game on the defensive side,” Evans said. “And then when he’s knocking down shots, it’s just a plus.”
