With the 2026 NBA Draft less than a month away, water has found its level with regards to players coming and going. While some opted to keep their names in the draft, others like John Blackwell decided to come back to school. Blackwell spent the last three seasons playing for Greg Gard at Wisconsin, getting better every year since leaving high school. Duke should reap the benefits here.
These are the 10 returning college basketball players FOX Sports' Michael Cohen feels are the best.
- Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas
- Duke Blue Devils shooting guard John Blackwell
- Florida Gators power forward/center Alex Condon
- Florida Gators small forward Thomas Haugh
- Illinois Fighting Illini power forward David Mirkovic
- Kentucky Wildcats small forward/power forward Milan Momcilovic
- Michigan Wolverines point guard Elliot Cadeau
- Michigan State Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
- UConn Huskies point guard Silas Demary Jr.
- Vanderbilt Commodores point guard Tyler Tanner
There are two things jumping off the page in his evaluation of Blackwell: Shooting and development.
"A former three-star recruit, Blackwell developed into a highly effective three-level scorer during an impressive career with the Badgers. He increased his scoring average from 8 points per game as a freshman to 15.8 per game as a sophomore to a career-best 19.1 per game last season, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors."
Blackwell's ability to get a bucket from all over the floor will be massive in Duke's run at a Final Four.
"Potency from beyond the arc (38.9 percent) and at the free-throw line (85.9 percent) made Blackwell a coveted option in this year’s portal cycle."
Look for Blackwell to keep improving now that he is playing for Jon Scheyer and his revamped staff.
John Blackwell could change the calculus for Duke Blue Devils basketball
One of the things that plagued Duke down the stretch last year was depth. Scheyer had a young team, one centered around the Boozer twins. With Cameron Boozer off to the NBA, the Blue Devils needed another go-to scoring force for them offensively. Blackwell may be every bit a backcourt player, but his abilities to connect on a high percentage of his shots could improve Duke dramatically.
Wisconsin may have bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round only a few months ago, but Blackwell's in-game experience should be a huge boost to the Duke roster as it makes its way through league play. Scheyer has done a great job of navigating the many one-and-dones who end up playing for him, but he knows the best Duke teams are laden with experience and upperclassmen.
Read more: Mavericks reportedly explore Jon Scheyer's interest in Dallas coaching vacancy
It may be year five for Scheyer leading his alma mater, but this is the only one where he will get to coach Blackwell. If there is an area where Scheyer can grow, it is being steadier in critical parts of the game. Again, he is only four years into this, and is not yet 40... These things take time. However, it has been over a decade since Duke last won a national championship. Blackwell only gets one more shot.
The hardest thing in college hoops may be scoring, but the Blue Devils just added an instant bucket.
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