There is finally game tape to breakdown after the Duke basketball program gave the world a sneak preview of its squad on Friday night during its annual Countdown to Craziness scrimmage and a handful of interesting storylines appeared.
The star of the show – as many expected – was freshman Cameron Boozer who showed that he can do everything on the basketball court. He displayed his scoring, rebounding, passing, dribbling, and shooting skills with eight points and will be the key to success for the Blue Devils this season.
The son of the Duke Hall of Famer Carlos Boozer is not quite at a Cooper Flagg level yet in terms of hype, but he could be in the same conversation at year’s end.
However, it was a pair of other freshmen that really stood out in Nik Khamenia and Sebastian Wilkins.
Khamenia, a heralded 5-star recruit, put together a quiet eight points on the night which appears much more impressive given the short length of the scrimmage and his ability to hit a pair of corner 3-pointers.
The California native received glowing reviews during this time with USA Basketball this summer and is hoping those results will translate to his freshman season at Duke.
However, it was Wilkins, a reclass recruit from 2026, that was much more visually impressive with his shot making capabilities, athleticism, and ability to disrupt things on the defensive end. His 3-pointer won the game, capping off a six-point performance, for his team in the Elam Ending.
The battle for playing time between the two players should be something to monitor throughout the preseason with Duke being very depth on the wing and both likely coming off the bench in some capacity.
The Blue Devils will host UCF in an exhibition on October 21 before traveling to Tennessee on October 26. The regular season begins on Tuesday, November 4 as Duke will play Texas in Charlotte at the Dick Vitale Invitational.