Jon Scheyer and Duke are going to open the season at full strength.
After getting senior guard Caleb Foster back for the final exhibition game against Kansas, the Blue Devils were only waiting on Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski. Just a few hours prior to tip-off of Duke's regular-season opener against Army, the Blue Devils announced that Scharnowski was cleared and would be available to play against the Black Knights:
Drew Scharnowski --> active tonight pic.twitter.com/3qSFjqje2B
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 2, 2026
Drew Scharnowski will play for Duke tonight vs. Army
The goal was always to get Scharnowski back for the regular-season opener, and that's big news for Scheyer and the Duke rotation.
Duke has two warm-up games this week against Army and Coastal Carolina before traveling to Chicago next Tuesday to take on Michigan State. Working Scharnowski into the rotation and getting him live game reps this week is massively important for his ability to be the impactful player Scheyer knows he can be when the real season tips off next week against the Spartans.
Scheyer raved about his impact during the offseason, and prior to his injury, Scharnowski was generating some real offseason buzz.
Scharnowski was a sneaky good Transfer Portal addition for Duke this offseason. While John Blackwell was the big prize, Scharnowski's ability to impact the game on both ends will be obvious right away. He's a veteran big man who gives Duke some much-needed poise in the frontcourt and can take some pressure off freshmen Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Cameron Williams.
How much Scharnowski plays tonight against Army remains to be seen. He'll likely be on a bit of a minutes restriction as Scheyer looks to ramp him up toward a full workload next week.
Scharnowski averaged 10.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season at Belmont. He'll provide a nice insurance policy in the frontcourt, and his defensive versatility and hustle will earn him a significant role in the Duke rotation.
Last year, Duke was pretty thin in the frontcourt, and that was felt heavily when Patrick Ngongba suffered a late-season foot injury that hampered him throughout March. Duke was forced to play Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown as undersized fives in his stead.
That won't happen this year with Scharnowski and Boumtje Boumtje capable of sliding into that role, if needed.
Duke's season opener tonight against Army at Cameron Indoor tips off at 6:30 pm ET and will be televised on ESPNU. The Blue Devils are 40+ point favorites.
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