Duke Men’s 2025-26 discussion

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goFurman

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Who will return. Please keep me updated.

- Caleb Foster combo guard, Pat Ngongba C, Maliq Brown 4/5, Isaiah Evans 2, Darren Harris G, …. Tyrese Proctor. 2. ???
I would think the first 5 guys I listed are each pretty likely individually…. Losing maybe one or two of those 5?
Tyrese not sure. He’s on draft boards I think.

Help me. Who is coming in at which position and how are they rated
Boozer awesome PF but Freshman…
Boozer PG ?
 
Ok.
Boozer PF at 6’9”. Top 3 recruit. Inside outside guy? Good rebounder. Good passer. Still he’s a Freshman.
Boozer PG 6’4”. Top 25 guy. Again Freshman

I’m looking for a linebacker like Sion ! Age 22+
 
I have a feeling Foster is a likely transfer candidate. Would hate to see him go, but a change of scenery could do him good.

I think Tyrese is gone, and CJS has done his best to set him up for going pro. Not sure he has a ton to gain from returning other than trying to win the natty.

My guess is Isaiah goes pro. Maybe he’s 50/50.

The only returners I see at this point are Pat, Maliq, and Harris. We will very likely turnover our entire backcourt and maybe all of our perimeter players.

Cameron might be in that special category. Cayden could be a difference maker as well. Khamenia could be next years Kon. He’s got size and seems to be a decent shooter.

If we get Ament, then next year could be spectacular. Whether we do or not, we will need to bring in some good guards through the portal. We will need a playmaker unless Cayden turns out to have Stones-like qualities.
 
Don't forget all teams are a year younger with 5th year eligibility gone. This will matter. Possible returnees + freshmen.

Guards/Wings:
Proctor, Foster, Evans, Harris, Cayden Boozer, Henderson

Forwards:
Cam Boozer, Khamenia

Centers:
Ngongba, Brown

Jon's biggest offseason decision will be what he plans for PG. Foster, Boozer, and a portal transfer are all options. TBD.
 
hurleyfan84 said:
Are there many preseason top 15ish teams bringing back more than 3-4 players?
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Houston has more KEY players returning. THREE STARTERS ! Tugler. Uzan. Sharp. Three super starters. And 6/7 man Terrance Arceneaux. So while 4 guys these are much more reliable Starters than our listed guys as three of them started tonight. And Sampson got Uzan in portal this year who was huge. No reason to think he won’t fill the gaps again.
 
goFurman said:
Houston has more KEY players returning. THREE STARTERS ! Tugler. Uzan. Sharp. Three super starters. And 6/7 man Terrance Arceneaux. So while 4 guys these are much more reliable Starters than our listed guys as three of them started tonight. And Sampson got Uzan in portal this year who was huge. No reason to think he won’t fill the gaps again.
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I'm sure they'll be good, but even if one of the best I think we could compete with them on the off chance we meet again in the tourney. Not to diminish their accomplishment of playing for the natty, but they did eek by Gonzaga, Purdue and Duke.
 
Isaiah is now in play. 2 minutes last night. He is talented. He may get recruited to NIL transfer portal. Scheyer better get on the phone because there will likely be guards and a center needed for next season. Flight to RDU will be a real quiet flight like reports about the locker room after the devastating defeat.
 
goFurman said:
Houston has more KEY players returning. THREE STARTERS ! Tugler. Uzan. Sharp. Three super starters. And 6/7 man Terrance Arceneaux. So while 4 guys these are much more reliable Starters than our listed guys as three of them started tonight. And Sampson got Uzan in portal this year who was huge. No reason to think he won’t fill the gaps again.
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It's a bit premature to assume anyone is returning. For Duke or Houston.
 
heyman25 said:
Isaiah is now in play. 2 minutes last night. He is talented. He may get recruited to NIL transfer portal. Scheyer better get on the phone because there will likely be guards and a center needed for next season. Flight to RDU will be a real quiet flight like reports about the locker room after the devastating defeat.
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We don't as yet know our needs. Jon has to get a handle on who is returning and also whether we are fortunate enough to get Nate Ament. Despite that, we know we need a high quality center who can be a physical player with solid rebounding skills. In addition, we could use another PG. Reliance on a Freshman for that role (he may be fine) is not wise. Caleb could return and be able to fill some time at PG but to be safe Jon needs one. I guess we have to standby to learn what the future brings.
 
My outlook - obvious and guesses

Flagg - draft
Knueppel - draft
Maluach - draft
Proctor - draft
James - no more eligibility
Gillis - no more eligibility
Foster - transfer
Harris - transfer

Evans - back
Brown - back
Ngongba - back

Scheyer is going to need to be shrewd with the portal again.
 
Saratoga2 said:
We don't as yet know our needs. Jon has to get a handle on who is returning and also whether we are fortunate enough to get Nate Ament. Despite that, we know we need a high quality center who can be a physical player with solid rebounding skills. In addition, we could use another PG. Reliance on a Freshman for that role (he may be fine) is not wise. Caleb could return and be able to fill some time at PG but to be safe Jon needs one. I guess we have to standby to learn what the future brings.
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I think we’re set here if Ngongba and Brown stay, along with Boozer in the fold.
 
In my dreams, Coop and Kon make a pact to run it back and try to make history. Special players and people regardless. I could see them and their families wanting to do this, but I realize my dreams are likely not very realistic.

Ngongba and Brown are a great start to any team along with the currently committed first-year class.

Evans will be back. He knows he needs to get stronger and better, and Duke is the place to make it happen.

I know many people feel Harris may leave. I think and hope he will ride it out and keep getting better. He is a talent. His dad is an excellent HS Coach, and the family understands the Darren’s basketball journey and long-term success will be a process.

I am guessing Proctor may go, but I think it’s a closer call than people may think. Perhaps he can be part of the pact. 😊
 
SkyBrickey said:
Don't forget all teams are a year younger with 5th year eligibility gone. This will matter. Possible returnees + freshmen.

Guards/Wings:
Proctor, Foster, Evans, Harris, Cayden Boozer, Henderson

Forwards:
Cam Boozer, Khamenia. Maybe Nate Ament

Centers:
Ngongba, Brown

Jon's biggest offseason decision will be what he plans for PG. Foster, Boozer, and a portal transfer are all options. TBD.
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Thanks. Agree, Seems short on solid PG play. Scary to QB your team with a freshman and Foster.

And need another at least decent 5 for depth. Many times this year Maliq came in when Malauch and Pat both had two fouls or so. Several times.
 
It’s an interesting point about all teams being younger with the COVID fifth year no longer a factor. When I scanned rosters for most teams in the tournament, I was struck by how much older all the other teams were.
 
hurleyfan84 said:
I'm sure they'll be good, but even if one of the best I think we could compete with them on the off chance we meet again in the tourney. Not to diminish their accomplishment of playing for the natty, but they did eek by Gonzaga, Purdue and Duke.
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A win is a win.
 
Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 said:
It's a bit premature to assume anyone is returning. For Duke or Houston.
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Yep. Any one of our six "most-likely" returnees could be transferring (or in the case of Proctor, deciding going pro).

Among the rotation-ish guys, here's how it looks:
Definitely gone due to eligibility: Gillis, James
"Definitely" gone due to draft stock: Flagg, Knueppel, Maluach

Everyone else: question mark

If I had to guess (and it would be only a guess), I'd expect at least 3 of our 6 rotation guys to return. But I can't say with certainty which 3 it would be, or if there will be more (or even 3). There currently appears to be a starting spot available for Ngongba or Brown at C. Will one or both of those guys choose to return? Don't know. There currently appears to be a starting spot on the wing for one of Proctor, Evans, Foster, or Harris. Will at least 2 of them return? Don't know.

Incoming:
Cam Boozer, an excellent prospect at PF. He's not Flagg (obviously), but he'll be really good.
Shelton Henderson, who you don't have to squint too hard to see a Sion James type. He wasn't in the McDonald's game, but he's really good and likely to contribute right away.
Nik Khamenia, a 6'8" forward with excellent shooting and some toughness. Probably will be a rotation player, if he can prove able to play alongside Cam Boozer (i.e., if he can defend the 3 or if Boozer can play the 5 some).
Cayden Boozer, a big PG who is developing as a scorer. Decent chance he cracks the starting lineup, but at worst he should be in the guard rotation.

Will they add Nate Ament to that group? If so, I'd expect more departures from the potential returnees, and a much smaller role for Khamenia. If not, then the questions above remain.

At this point, there's just no idea what the roster will look like beyond the freshmen coming in, and even with those guys it's hard to know exactly what role some of those guys will have.
 
As for other teams, I think we'll still be seeing a lot of age among the very best teams. Yes, there will be way fewer 6th-year guys. But there will still be plenty of fifth-year guys. Between JuCo guys and medical waivers, there will still be a lot of old guys available, and several of them will be impact players. And with NIL and the free transfers, you can expect to see the best of those guys wind up on the best teams. There won't be as many speed bumps in the "middle class" maybe, but the top-10 is likely to be loaded with talented, experienced rosters. So I do expect that we'll make a push for a couple of rising juniors and/or grad students, just like we did this year.
 
The roster will take shape over the next few weeks. I know the constant roster turnover can be frustrating, but that's CBB now. If you want a positive angle, there's more interesting stuff to follow in the off-season. Jon needs to hire an assistant coach as well.

We have a great class coming in. Jon made strides this year in roster construction through the portal. I also thought he took a big step in terms of tactics. I am extremely optimistic about the future of the program.
 
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