Duke’s preseason depth is already sounding like a weapon, and the newcomers are making that clear after the Blue Devils’ 102-62 scrimmage win over Belmont.
Freshman guard Deron Rippey Jr. said the way the roster is built makes everything easier on the floor. Rippey, who led Duke’s bench with 22 minutes and finished with 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal, said, "It makes playing basketball just so much easier, so much more fun, you know, with different guys with different abilities who can create for me, who I can create for," He added, "So, it's honestly just a great feeling."
The same idea came through from senior transfer guard John Blackwell, who started and logged a team-high 26 minutes in his first outing as a Blue Devil against an opponent. Blackwell scored 17 points efficiently and said Duke’s depth lets the group stay aggressive without worrying about conserving energy.
"I think we played very hard [against Belmont]," Blackwell, who drew a team-high 26 minutes from Scheyer and poured in an efficient 17 points as a starter in his first outing as a Blue Devil against an opponent, told Duke Blue Devils On SI in the locker room afterward. "Coach was big on giving everything you've got because we've got a lot of guys who can sub in - don't pace yourself."
Blackwell also pointed out that Duke was doing all that without senior guard Caleb Foster (ankle) and transfer forward Drew Scharnowski (knee), both of whom hope to be ready by the time the regular season opens at home against Army on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
"We've got guys all over, from the one to the five, and we've got two guys out right now," Blackwell noted. "So, versatility would be the theme of this team."
That versatility showed up again with starting freshman big man Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who powered Duke with 19 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks in 22 minutes. He said the Blue Devils’ tone at the start of games helps the entire roster settle in and play with force.
"When we start off hot, when we start off hyping people up, everybody just kind of comes in ready to play and ready to defend, ready to play hard," the 7-foot-2, 250-pound 17-year-old said. "So, we're just making sure we start off well, and then the rest is as it shows from there."
Fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer may or may not go 10 deep once the games count in early November. But right now, the message from the locker room is unmistakable: Duke likes having options, and the newcomers are embracing every inch of that.
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Dukes First Loss Put One Big Limit On This Team
Dukes first loss of the 2026 season came in Atlanta, a 28-25 defeat to Georgia Tech that left the Blue Devils with a familiar kind of frustration: they were close, productive and still not quite clean enough to finish the job. Penalties were a major reason the night slipped away, and the offense had to navigate a tougher script than usual with running back Nate Sheppard working through the game on a taped foot.
Even with that limitation, Sheppard still led Duke in both rushing and receiving yards, a reminder of how much the Blue Devils lean on him when the margins get tight. Walker Eget helped keep the offense moving with 259 passing yards and a touchdown, stepping up when Sheppard was clearly not at full strength, but Duke still ran into one big limit that showed up at the wrong time and cost it the chance to leave Atlanta unbeaten. [Read more 🡒]
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For a team that had been rolling, the concern now is less about one bad night than about what it revealed. Duke struggled to control the line of scrimmage, couldnt consistently generate a pass rush, and again came up short in late-game execution, a combination that turns next week into more than just another ACC game. North Carolina is arriving at a moment when Duke suddenly has to answer a much tougher question about how quickly it can clean this up. [Read more 🡒]
Duke's Deepest Roster Yet Already Has New Names Demanding Attention
A closed scrimmage against Belmont at Cameron Indoor Stadium gave Duke an early look at just how crowded and competitive this roster can be. The Blue Devils rolled to a 102-62 win, and while exhibition settings always come with a grain of salt, the takeaway was hard to miss: this group already has multiple young players pushing for attention, with sophomore Dame Sarr and freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje among the names standing out.
The encouraging part for Duke is that the list did not stop there. Freshmen and sophomores such as Deron Rippey Jr., Cayden Boozer and Maxime Meyer also flashed in ways that suggest the rotation picture could be fluid once the games count for real. For a team trying to sort out roles in what looks like its deepest roster yet, that kind of early competition is exactly what the staff wants, even if it means some answers may take a little longer to sort out. [Read more 🡒]