Duke basketball hardly ever operates within the shadows, particularly not contemporary off a Ultimate 4 run and the nation’s top-ranked 2025 recruiting class en route. However incoming five-star freshman Cameron Boozer, the reigning Gatorade Nationwide Participant of the 12 months and son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, is bringing a mindset that means Duke nonetheless has one thing to show.
“I believe we’re very missed proper now, however as soon as the season begins, that’ll change for positive,” Boozer informed ESPN.
Missed? With a little bit greater than 100 days till the 2025–26 season suggestions off, Duke holds the third-best odds (+1300) to win the nationwide championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook — trailing solely Purdue (+900) and Houston (+1000).
It is a daring declare, however one which displays the sting and urgency Duke’s freshmen core is bringing into the season. Boozer ranks because the No. 1 energy ahead and No. 3 general prospect within the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports. He’s one in all three new five-star enrollees for the Blue Devils alongside fellow energy ahead Nikolas Khamenia and Italian guard Dame Sarr.
His twin brother, Cayden Boozer, can also be a top-25 recruit and a dynamic playmaker at level guard, giving Duke one of the vital gifted and versatile freshman courses within the nation.
“Now we have an enormous chip as a result of we all know that now we have the expertise and the workforce to be the very best workforce within the nation, and I usually really feel like we would be the finest workforce within the nation,” Cameron informed ESPN. “In order that places an enormous chip on us that persons are overlooking us saying that we’re not the workforce we have been final 12 months and the whole lot like that. I really feel like everybody will see that when the season comes, however we’re not too nervous about stuff like that.”
This previous season, Duke made its second Ultimate 4 look in 4 years and its first underneath coach Jon Scheyer, the previous Blue Devils standout who succeeded Mike Krzyzewski following his retirement after the 2021-22 season.
Duke has clearly remained a fixture within the nationwide dialog, however continues to be looking for its first nationwide championship since 2015. The ten-year drought is this system’s longest since Coach Ok delivered Duke’s first nationwide titles with back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992.