Duke basketball completes first part of offseason quest

The first part of the Duke basketball offseason to-do list has been completed. 

Since the Duke basketball season ended, there has been one major thing on the checklist for Jon Scheyer: get players to return for next season.

Step one has been accomplished.

Jeremy Roach announced on Friday afternoon, via social media, that he will be returning to Durham for his junior season.

“I think we ain’t done yet…,” the point guard captioned on Instagram.

Roach emerged as a star during Duke’s run to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament after his clutch shots against Michigan State and Texas Tech led the Blue Devils to two massive victories.

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The Leesburg, Virginia native averaged 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game this season on 41.0-percent shooting from the field.

Jeremy Roach joins Joey Baker as the only two players to publicly announce their returns to Duke for the 2022-23 season. It is likely both will be named captains under first-year head coach Jon Scheyer.

Mark Williams, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Moore have all announced their intentions to enter the 2022 NBA Draft.

Duke basketball looking to complete phase two of offseason plan

The deadline for underclassmen to enter the 2022 NBA Draft is Sunday, April 24 at 11:59 p.m., and Duke is now waiting on the decision of two players: AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels.

Griffin, a projected Top-10 pick, is likely to leave Durham for the NBA while Keels’ decision is much more complex.

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Trevor Keels had an up-and-down freshman season and has fallen out of the first round in various mock drafts. A sophomore season in Durham to perfect his skills could be beneficial, and now his high school teammate, Jeremy Roach, is sticking around for another year.

It could be too tempting to pass up.

The decisions will be made soon as Duke will be looking to make another run to the Final Four behind key veterans and the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.