Another class of freshman stars tries to end Duke’s decade-long title drought

Hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since Duke’s last NCAA title in men’s basketball, now the longest drought since Mike Krzyzewski won his first of five back in 1991. It doesn’t seem that way, not with the close calls in 2022 and last April, powerful teams that sputtered out in the Final Four, never mind the Zion Williamson team in 2019 that never got that chance.

Still, the quest goes on to win again in the one-and-done era, with Duke going 1-for-11 under Krzyzewski and now a small sample of 0-for-3 under Jon Scheyer, albeit improving each season. The Blue Devils will try again with yet another generational talent this winter: Exit Cooper Flagg, enter Cameron Boozer, a legacy admission who also plays basketball.

Boozer is a different player than Flagg, entering with slightly less hype and a twin brother who will actually join him at Duke, but as his extraordinary performance in the exhibition at Tennessee showed, he’s the latest in the long list of formidable freshman forces the Blue Devils have built their program around.

Marvin Bagley, Williamson, Paolo Banchero and Flagg all came close — bowing out on one key play in the final moments of what became their final game — and all served to reinforce the proof of concept that Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones delivered in 2015. But that was a long time ago now, and since Duke became the Duke we know today, it hasn’t waited this long to see the top of the mountain again.

So: Can Boozer do what his predecessors could not? He will have a strong supporting cast, not only his brother Cayden, who will share point-guard duties with returnee Caleb Foster, but shooters like Isaiah Evans and Nik Khamenia, defensive ace Maliq Brown (when healthy) and wild card Dame Sarr, the Italian pro wing whose ceiling may be unlimited.

Perhaps more important, since taking over for his mentor and filling the considerable shoes of a legend, Scheyer’s program has shown constant growth from season to season despite the usual roster turnover.

He’s shown a willingness to ruthlessly cull when needed — the roster clear-out after the Elite 8 loss to N.C. State in 2024; the departure of assistant coach Will Avery, a member of Duke’s fabled Brotherhood, this summer — and an ability to adapt to trends in the game, whether that’s positional length or international recruiting or hiring a general manager or adding new voices from outside the program, not something his predecessor often did.

Scheyer’s belief that his program is doing things the right way, and that it’s merely a matter of time before Duke closes the gap, is palpable.

“We’re right there,” Scheyer said. “I mean, two of the last four years, we’ve been really close, and it’s a small margin of error. For me as a coach, one, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done. But two, I think if you keep putting yourself in that position of being in that moment, being right there, it’s only a matter of time before you break through. And I feel that’s where our program is.”

But it’s one thing to say that and another to make it happen. Duke has come close. There’s no question or argument about that. Boozer and Boozer get their turn now to do what their predecessors could not. It’s not just Cameron Boozer’s reputation on the line. Duke’s is hanging out there, too.

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This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Another class of freshman stars tries to end Duke’s decade-long title drought."

Luke DeCock

The News & Observer

Luke DeCock is a former journalist for the News & Observer.