The fact that he broke a bone in his foot on March 7 and returned 20 days later is unreal.
Yup, we're talking about standout Duke point guard Caleb Foster, who hurt himself in the regular-season finale against North Carolina. When that happened, a lot of us assumed he'd be out for the rest of the season, but he took the floor against St. John's in the Sweet 16 and he came up huge for his team.
Jon Scheyer brought to tears by Caleb Foster's incredible Sweet 16 performance
Foster finished with 11 points, with them ALL coming in the second half. In crunch time, he connected on some key buckets for the Blue Devils too, as the ACC champs were able to escape with an 80-75 win. Right after the final whistle, Foster was understandably fired up, making it clear he wasn't going to let his hardwood brothers fight without him.
“I just poured everything into my teammates,” Foster said on fighting back to play in the Sweet 16. “They battled and I watched them battle. I tried to do whatever I could do to help (us) win. This was a tough game. Credit to St. John’s, they’re a really good opponent.”
Caleb Foster came up huge for Duke in the win over St. John's
Couple that with Jon Scheyer fighting back tears while discussing Foster's determination to get back on the floor and we don't blame Duke fans if they're also getting emotional. This is a close group and they are now one win away from getting to the Final Four.
Again, Foster broke a bone in his foot less than three weeks ago. He was on a scooter and in a boot for a little while, yet he was able to play in the Sweet 16 and be a difference-maker for the Blue Devils? This is the kind of story you only see in movies.
Foster was a little rusty to start, sure, but the more time he spent out there, the more comfortable he got. Next up for Duke is an Elite Eight dance, but the Blue Devils have more than just a goal of getting to the Final Four in mind. The natty is the ultimate prize and having Foster back is going to help out immensely in trying to see those dreams come true.