Countdown Saturday night gave Duke fans a first look at the season-to-be, but it also came with the usual warning label: don’t get too carried away.
There was basketball, sure. There were referees, a scoreboard, a pep band and a crowd of freshmen getting their first taste of what to cheer and when. Duke has even been giving those newcomers tutorials on the cheers, with some history mixed in, including the Uncle Terry letter and Bruce Channel’s “Hey Baby?”
Still, it was only a 12-minute scrimmage, split into two brief sessions, which is not much to build a grand theory on. The internet may already be firing off hot takes, but the sample size was tiny.
One clear opinion did emerge: the dunk contest should be done away with. Retire it.
Bury it with honors. Give it a gold watch and thank it for its service.
Even with players skipping the usual niceties like dribbling, that 360-degree dunk proved surprisingly hard to land.
There were also some scoreboard issues, with the display apparently having trouble matching blue and white to what was happening on the floor.
The women went first, playing two six-minute halves. The expected standouts looked like standouts.
Toby Fournier finished with 8 points and 3 rebounds, Delaney Thomas had 9 points and 2 rebounds, and Ariana Roberson grabbed 5 rebounds. Emma Koabel hit a pair of 3s, and Texas transfer Aliayah Crump led all scorers with 10 points.
The numbers were tidy in one sense and messy in another. The two teams combined for just seven assists on 18 made field goals, and only four turnovers total were forced - and committed.
Emilee Skinner, Jaydn Donovan and Sanai Green did not play, but all three were introduced. None were on crutches or in a cast, and all appeared to be moving well. With no postgame media availabilities for either team, that was about as much as could be gathered: everyone should be fine.
On the men’s side, Drew Scharnowski was the only absentee, and that was expected. He also moved fine during introductions.
The clearest on-court takeaway involved freshman Maxime Meyer, who finished with 6 points and 2 rebounds. He looked better than classmates Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who had 2 points and 2 rebounds, and Cameron Williams, who posted 3 points and 1 rebound. That said, if Scharnowski had been healthy, Meyer would have seen far less of the floor.
And yes, that point comes with a wink. Christian Reeves a few years ago is part of that backdrop.
Meyer still looks like a player worth watching down the line, just not one whose first 12 minutes should trigger sweeping conclusions.
Two other men stood out. John Blackwell looks like someone who will score on anybody Duke faces this season.
The 3-point shooting that had been expected was there, but so was something more: he was strong with the ball, able to drive to the rim and finish through contact. He scored 10 points.
Then there was Deron Rippey, Jr., who flashed the kind of athletic tools Duke hasn’t had in a guard in a while. Quickness, speed, explosion, elevation - all of it showed up. He put up 7 points, 3 assists and a couple of steals, and much of that came against some mix of Blackwell, Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr.
Sarr, for his part, made both free throws he attempted. That’s a tiny data point, but it matters for a player who shot 53.2% from the line last season.
In Other News...
Duke Defense Faces Its Biggest Identity Test Yet At Georgia Tech
A bye week often gives a coaching staff time to sharpen the details, and for Jonathan Patke, Dukes defensive coordinator, it has also meant reinforcing something less tangible: the soul of the unit. The Blue Devils have taken real steps forward on defense this season, sitting near the top nationally in scoring and total defense, and Manny Diaz has pointed to the groups cohesion and its ability to keep opponents from generating easy chunk gains as a major reason.
Georgia Tech brings a different kind of test after making changes on offense, with a new play caller and a new quarterback steering the operation. For Duke, the matchup is less about matching stats than proving its identity holds up when the pictures change, the pace shifts and the game asks the defense to communicate on the fly. The next step for this unit is about whether those improvements still look the same when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Undefeated Duke Faces Another Chance To Prove This Start Is Real
Duke heads into its conference trip to Georgia Tech with an undefeated record and a growing sense that this start is more than a hot spell. Manny Diaz has made clear the Blue Devils know what is waiting in Atlanta, where winning is rarely simple and respect for the opponent is part of the preparation. So far, Duke has leaned on a strong defense and a balanced offense, with transfer quarterback Walker Eget and running back Nate Sheppard helping steady the attack.
Georgia Tech comes in off a bye looking for a reset after a difficult season, and Brent Keys team will try to build around first-year starter Alberto Mendoza. For Duke, the broader question is not just whether it can stay unbeaten, but whether it can keep answering the same test on the road, against a team still searching for traction and a setting that has made this matchup tricky before. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Frontcourt May Hinge On One Underrated Newcomer
Jon Scheyer keeps circling back to Drew Scharnowski as one of the more intriguing pieces in Dukes offseason haul, and not just because the Belmont transfer arrives with a reputation for bringing size and versatility to the frontcourt. The Blue Devils are trying to sort out a rotation that can hold up once games start counting, and Scharnowskis presence was always going to matter because of how he fits with returning big man Patrick Ngongba and the younger forwards trying to earn minutes.
For now, though, Duke is waiting. Scharnowski is dealing with a knee injury and will not be available for the exhibition against Belmont, which at least delays the first look at how the frontcourt might take shape. Scheyer has indicated the two big men could share the floor often, and there is even a path for Scharnowski to push into the starting mix, a development that would not only change the look of Dukes lineup but also ease the pressure on freshmen Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams as they learn on the fly. [Read more 🡒]