Duke got a little clarity Thursday on Drew Scharnowski, the Belmont transfer big man who had already caught the eye of fans after practice footage showed him on crutches with a sleeve over his knee.
At Duke’s basketball media day, Jon Scheyer acknowledged the issue without going deep into specifics.
"He has a knee injury he’s working through. He’ll be back hopefully soon," Scheyer said.
Scharnowski sounded cautiously optimistic about where things stand.
"Right now the goal is to return before the season starts. But … one day at a time," Scharnowski said.
Media members on hand also noted that Scharnowski was not on crutches when he arrived for the press conference.
The injury appears to be a short-term concern rather than something that should derail his season. Scharnowski believes he can be back by the time Duke opens the year, though it would not be a surprise if he misses the Blue Devils’ preseason scrimmages. Scheyer did not put a firm timetable on it, but his “he’ll be back hopefully soon” line suggested this is not expected to linger.
Duke brought in Scharnowski through the Transfer Portal as a piece to help replace Maliq Brown, who exhausted his eligibility and became a second-round draft pick by the San Antonio Spurs. Scharnowski is projected to back up Patrick Ngongba II at center, giving the Blue Devils a bigger option they did not have last season.
That matters for Duke’s frontcourt depth. It should keep either of the 5-star freshmen - Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams - from needing to spend time at the five before their bodies are ready for that role at the college level.
Scharnowski arrives with real production behind him, too. In two seasons at Belmont, he averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.1 stocks (steals + blocks) per game, and he was one of the better defenders in the Missouri Valley.
For Scheyer, the addition looks even more valuable in light of last season’s injury trouble. Ngongba’s late-season injury forced Brown and Cameron Boozer to play up a spot, and Scharnowski gives Duke the backup center it was missing.
The Blue Devils are still more than a month away from their regular-season opener against Army on November 2nd at Cameron Indoor. Before that, they’ll face Army and Coastal Carolina in tune-up games, then get their first real test against Michigan State in Chicago on November 10th.
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