It has taken almost no time for freshman Dame Sarr to buy into the Duke men's basketball program, and as the Blue Devils fly toward March Madness, the young forward shared a little inside perspective into what keeps his team motivated.
"There are a lot of things we talk about every single day. "KAIZEN" just getting better every day," Sarr said. "That’s the most important thing for me, being resilient, just fighting for inches every day, getting better, and never give up."
"Kaizen" is a Japanese philosophy about continual growth and always working for improvement, in both work and life. With that in mind, no wonder Sarr and the Blue Devils have found so much success so far this season.
Jon Scheyer instilling relentlessness into the Blue Devils
No. 4 Duke is 20-1 overall, with a 9-0 record in its conference schedule, and it doesn't look like the Blue Devils are slowing down anytime soon.
A lot of that has been attributed to Sarr's defensive prowess, which Scheyer has continued to praise as the Blue Devils have powered through to the postseason.
Through his first 21 collegiate games, Sarr has locked down star players from team after team while averaging 5.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.9 assists, and 0.3 blocks per game.
"I really like Duke. I really love the Brotherhood. I think it’s something real, just being on campus, just seeing how many successful people are in this campus," Sarr said. "Everybody wants you to succeed in your field, so it’s great to be a part of it."
While fellow freshman Cameron Boozer may be the star of the show, Sarr has continued to prove his worth to the Blue Devils. Maybe, just maybe, Scheyer knows how to coach up these young players.
Up next, Duke will host the Boston College Eagles on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network. Then, on Saturday, the No. 4 Blue Devils will visit the No. 14 UNC Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.