Duke may have landed plenty of attention this offseason with its high school haul and the arrival of Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, but Jon Scheyer sounds just as convinced that another newcomer could end up mattering just as much when the wins and losses start stacking up.
That player is Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski, and Scheyer’s view of him is already clear before Scharnowski has even played a game for the Blue Devils.
“When Drew Scharnowski gets back, I guarantee you, you’ll see a lot of Drew and Pat together because his impact on winning is the real deal," Scheyer told The Field of 68 at ACC Media Days.
The only catch is health. Scharnowski is working through a knee injury that has cost him practice time and will keep him out of Duke’s exhibition opener against his former team. The Blue Devils are still hopeful he’ll be ready when the games count for real.
What makes Scheyer’s comments stand out is the idea that Scharnowski and Patrick Ngongba won’t just split minutes in the frontcourt - they’ll share the floor. That was not the default assumption entering the preseason. Scharnowski looked like the natural backup to Ngongba, giving Duke protection behind the junior big man, who has had his own injury issues.
Instead, Scheyer is signaling a heavier role alongside Ngongba, which could even push Scharnowski into the starting lineup with him. If that happens, it would likely leave freshmen Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams coming off the bench.
That might be the cleanest path early on. The two freshmen have talent, but Duke may not need to throw everything at them immediately if Scharnowski is healthy and available. It gives the Blue Devils more room to let them develop without loading them up too quickly.
There is still some uncertainty around Thursday night as well. Ngongba took stitches after being hit in the Countdown to Craziness scrimmage, so it remains possible that one or both of Boumtje Boumtje and Williams could start against Belmont.
Duke’s exhibition opener is set for Thursday night at Cameron Indoor against Belmont at 7 pm ET and will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]
Jon Scheyer Just Made Duke's Colton Hiller Push Feel Very Real
Dukes 2027 recruiting class is already taking shape with five-star commit Kager Knueppel and recent pledge Luke Paul, but the Blue Devils also made room this month for a couple of elite visitors who could change the conversation around that group. Asa Montgomery and Colton Hiller were on campus for official visits, a sign that Jon Scheyer and his staff are still pushing hard at the top end of the board even as the class starts to fill in.
Hiller is the name that naturally raises the most intrigue, especially with his status among the elite prospects Duke keeps circling. Scheyer recently acknowledged the growing reality of two-year college paths in the sport, and that broader shift only adds another layer to the possibility that a player like Hiller could fit Duke sooner rather than later. For a program already leaning into premium talent and roster flexibility, the visit was notable enough on its own, even if the bigger decision still sits out ahead. [Read more 🡒]