Thank you, Captain: Jeremy Roach transfers to Baylor

[johnb]

Some of us emphasize the transactional aspect of this decision, worried that our guys are in it only for the money, or that we rent these guys, or that they don’t care about Duke or education.

Unless y’all have some sort of secret connections to the players, these feelings strike me as projections of your own inner turmoil. They fit some sort of fantasy, but they don’t fit what I see and hear.

Watch the Brotherhood telecast with Ryan Young. Listen to these guys when they’re on that show or being interviewed. All of them, including Jeremy, sound like smart, genuine young men who want to excel at basketball.

If he had come back, I don’t think Jeremy would have started. He’s not been a distributor.

His single best move was a drive into the lane and an off balance shot that generally went in. Impressive for a guy who’s 6’1. Incidentally: Mark Mitchell’s best move? A drive into the lane, a foul, and a ball that usually rolled off the rim.

You know what we have coming in? A great 6’8” driver who finishes the play.

 

[scottdude8]

For those who don't read the front page, some long form thoughts on Mr. Roach's decision: https://www.dukebasketballreport.co...il-blue-devils-college-basketball-jon-scheyer

 

[scottdude8]

Some of us emphasize the transactional aspect of this decision, worried that our guys are in it only for the money, or that we rent these guys, or that they don’t care about Duke or education.

Unless y’all have some sort of secret connections to the players, these feelings strike me as projections of your own inner turmoil. They fit some sort of fantasy, but they don’t fit what I see and hear.

Watch the Brotherhood telecast with Ryan Young. Listen to these guys when they’re on that show or being interviewed. All of them, including Jeremy, sound like smart, genuine young men who want to excel at basketball.

If he had come back, I don’t think Jeremy would have started. He’s not been a distributor.

His single best move was a drive into the lane and an off balance shot that generally went in. Impressive for a guy who’s 6’1. Incidentally: Mark Mitchell’s best move? A drive into the lane, a foul, and a ball that usually rolled off the rim.

You know what we have coming in? A great 6’8” driver who finishes the play.

Agreed on all this minus the bold. I have to imagine that if Jeremy wanted to come back, he would've been welcomed with open arms... but it would be in the same off-guard role he played this year, whether that was alongside Tyrese or Caleb (I say or because I think if Jeremy came back, that would push Caleb back to the bench since weren't going to run a 3 guard offense with our incoming personnel, and Caleb may have wanted an increased role this year). I think the more likely scenario is that Jeremy realized that his best path to a pro career involved him improving as an on-ball facilitator and getting those skills on tape, and he could do that better with a different roster makeup.

 

[Onlyduke]

Thanks for the memories, Jeremy! Gonna miss you ..... good luck in your future endeavors!

 

[Dukehk]

For those who don't read the front page, some long form thoughts on Mr. Roach's decision: https://www.dukebasketballreport.co...il-blue-devils-college-basketball-jon-scheyer

Potential 7 figure payday for Jeremy.

Hard to turn that down. I wonder if we would even think of matching? Or has that ship sailed.

 

[J4Kop99]

2 short form thoughts on Jeremy

1. Thank you Jeremy! Your FF run was a beautiful thing to watch. He always played hard and lead Duke with class.

2. Now the truthful part: if Duke really wanted Jeremy, he would still be here. But let’s read between the lines here.

 

[kako]

On the one hand, I wish Roach well. At first, I was not his biggest fan. He was talented, but he made, well, freshman mistakes. And those mistakes extended into the next season. I rooted for him to improve, but I had my questions. Then the FF run happened, and he grew up in the space of a few weeks. Since then, he was just so solid. So consistent. A worthy Devil and worthy Captain. The transfer portal and NIL just gives players more options that they should be entitled to given the huge amount of money that revolves around them, so I hope that he flourishes wherever he lands. I hope he makes all-x teams. I hope he makes a ton of money. He deserves it.

Just don't beat Duke, if you play Duke. And don't go to Carolina lol

On the other hand... damn. Selfishly, I really wanted to see him back. The three-guard lineup would still have been an option from time-to-time, with the 3 experienced guards (just Proctor and Roach would have harkened as far back as Amaker-Dawkins '86). I wonder about our backcourt depth now. I hope we get an experienced guard in the portal.

9F

 

[Edouble]

Bobo is a great comp. Thanks. I am very sorry Jeremy isn't coming back and it will really pain me to see him in another college uniform. And I absolutely hate this new culture of constant transfers. But in all cases, they owe me nothing. And in his in particular, he really owes me nothing. He stuck around for four years. He got his degree. He was a model citizen.

Not to ruin anyone's breakfast, and I'm fairly sure he would not do this because it would require a lot of chutzpah, but if Cadeau leaves UNC and Davis and Ingram stick around so they have some returning talent, and Roach wants to be a true point guard, he would slide into Cadeau's spot very well. If Cadeau is leaving (unclear), it would be malpractice for Hubert to not at least make the call. And hopefully Jeremy's response would be GTHCGTH.

Adding unc to a list that already includes Arkansas, Kentucky, and St. Johns, such fine institutions, led by coaches of integrity, makes me feel much better about seeing Jeremy Roach leave Duke.

 

[MChambers]

It's been a great ride

So long, Jeremy, and best of luck to you next year and thereafter. I bet UNC fans feel like you've been at Duke seven or eight years!

I don't have any bad feelings about Jeremy exploring the draft, exploring the transfer portal, or playing overseas. He gave us four great years and presumably will be graduating shortly. What more could you ask?

To those who are questioning why he is leaving, I know that after four years at Duke I was ready to go somewhere else. I applied to several law schools, but not Duke Law School. Add to that the possibility of a bigger payday and a chance to explore a different conference or a different coach, and I don't question at all Jeremy's desire to transfer. Nor do I think for a moment that he was pushed out. I'm sure Coach Scheyer would've loved to have a fifth year from Jeremy, but I'm also sure that Duke will be fine without him.

 

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Adding unc to a list that already includes Arkansas, Kentucky, and St. Johns, such fine institutions, led by coaches of integrity, makes me feel much better about seeing Jeremy Roach leave Duke.

You just took a really giant leap. I said that Jeremy could be a good fit at UNC. And that Hubert should contact him (much like it seems like Duke is contacting a ton of kids in the portal who we likely won't consider). I never said that Jeremy was interested in UNC. So please don't imply that. This is why internet message boards spin out of control.

Also, it is not for us to judge where he decides to go. As many have suggested, money is likely a big part of this - he is trying to provide for himself and his family. Unless you plan on writing a check for the difference between what a school you deem undesirable is offering and what one of your preferred schools is offering, you have no standing to criticize.

I truly hate that this is what college sports have come to - it is totally destroying it. Players are incentivized to look out for themselves in the short run, even though it could have a negative impact in the long run, and I don't blame them. Everyone has a different race to run, and we generally can't judge how they choose to run it.

 

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

There's an awful lot of folks on this and other threads that seem to take it as a given that players will pretty much go anywhere and do anything for a bigger paycheck.

Sure these kids are young, but that's never the way I've made my life's biggest decisions. We could give some of these folks (starting with players who gave four years to Duke) the benefit of the doubt.

 

[SkyBrickey]

2 short form thoughts on Jeremy

1. Thank you Jeremy! Your FF run was a beautiful thing to watch. He always played hard and lead Duke with class.

2. Now the truthful part: if Duke really wanted Jeremy, he would still be here. But let’s read between the lines here.

We will never know for sure but it's very possible that it was an either/or situation with Jeremy and Caleb. We aren't starting 3 guards this year and which of these guys would be happy coming off the bench? Caleb POTENTIALLY could start for the next 3 seasons at Duke if he doesn't blow up into a first round draft pick.

I'm not suggesting Jon nudged Jeremy out the door anymore than he did Mitchell. But he was I'm sure very direct and honest with both guys on what their roles would be on next year's team.

 

[CrazyNotCrazie]

There's an awful lot of folks on this and other threads that seem to take it as a given that players will pretty much go anywhere and do anything for a bigger paycheck.

Sure these kids are young, but that's never the way I've made my life's biggest decisions. We could give some of these folks (starting with players who gave four years to Duke) the benefit of the doubt.

The world isn't black and white. There are a lot of different opinions flying around here. Much as there are a lot of different reasons why players are making the choices they are. I don't think anyone is passing universal judgement on everyone. I think there are some who will go for the paycheck and some who won't. You are generalizing about how much generalizing is happening.

We can't fault anyone for whatever decision they choose to make. No one has standing to say "I can't believe he did XYZ." We can say "if his goal is to accomplish (getting to the NBA, making lots of money, getting a prestigious degree, etc.) I might have chosen differently based on the very small percentage of the facts that I am aware of."

 

[kAzE]

Kentucky is definitely going after him, and they can probably offer a pretty nice bag.

There’s a chance we could be playing against Jeremy Roach in the champions classic in November

 

[CameronBornAndBred]

Kentucky is definitely going after him, and they can probably offer a pretty nice bag.

There’s a chance we could be playing against Jeremy Roach in the champions classic in November

Well our scouting on him would be solid.

 

[Nugget]

I think its a two-fold decision for Jeremy. Obviously he's looking for a nice NIL package, as he should, but I think he's also looking for an opportunity to run an offense and exhibit to NBA personnel that he has PG skills. With the return of Proctor and Foster, two ball-dominant guards, that just wasnt going to happen at Duke this year, especially if Scheyer is looking to get away from the 3 guard lineup.

Like so many here, I have mixed emotions about this personally. But most of all, I understand. And I'm happy that Roach has this alleyway to continue playing in the collegiate game while getting paid, if the NBA process doesnt work out for him this year.

I think this is exactly right - that Jeremy's first priority in transferring would be to go to a place where he is more likely to be the lead play-making PG (which he wouldn't be at Duke with Proctor and Foster here next year even though he would certainly have gotten 30+ mpg playing the same role he did last year) to show/develop the skill he must demonstrate in order to generate NBA interest. And, secondly it would be NIL payment -- which, I had assumed he would have a chance to do better on at Duke as an established 5 year player/persona (i.e., like Bacot this past year), but which was probably an overly simplistic assumption, as I was underrating the extent to which teams like Kentucky or Arkansas have larger straight pay-for-play NIL arrangements than it would appear Duke has, as it seems like Duke's NIL program is geared more towards the original intent of endorsement contracts.

While Jeremy leaving based on either of those reasons saddens me, it is certainly understandable.

 

[kAzE]

if Duke really wanted Jeremy, he would still be here. But let’s read between the lines here.

I don’t think that’s something we should speculate on.

Jeremy is a small guard who probably won’t ever earn a big NBA contract. I have no problem with him going after the paycheck he deserves with the 1 year of eligibility he still has. If another school is able to offer him more than Duke can, he should take advantage of that. Duke is a very well funded program, but it’s not an NBA team. There’s a finite amount of resources. I am sure Jeremy was offered a very competitive number, probably equal, if not more than what Tyrese and Caleb got. But it’s probably not the type of crazy number you see Jeff Goodman tweeting about. There’s some schools out there desperately trying to become relevant and they have money to throw around. Go get your bag, Jerm.

Thanks for all the memories!

 

[HoKogan]

I'm not always the biggest fan of the DBR fun police, but people here are insinuating a fair bit about the character of a 4 year player deciding on new opportunities and they probably should not. Some people are expecting more integrity for a kid making a decision on basketball than they expect from some of our current political candidates

 

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I'm not always the biggest fan of the DBR fun police, but people here are insinuating a fair bit about the character of a 4 year player deciding on new opportunities and they probably should not. Some people are expecting more integrity for a kid making a decision on basketball than they expect from some of our current political candidates

Or even just assuming they have any idea what his motivations are in the first place.

Roach gave us four very good years. Can we not just be thankful for that and wish him well, regardless of what he chooses to do next?

 

[DBKilby]

2 short form thoughts on Jeremy

1. Thank you Jeremy! Your FF run was a beautiful thing to watch. He always played hard and lead Duke with class.

2. Now the truthful part: if Duke really wanted Jeremy, he would still be here. But let’s read between the lines here.

They want Jeremy back. The combine is in mid May and we are on a scholarship crunch. We can't afford to wait for him to decide and let all our targets go to other schools. We don't want a Trevor Keels 2.0 here.