The atmosphere was electric inside Cameron Indoor Stadium for Duke’s Countdown to Craziness, as fans packed the gym to get their first glimpse of the Blue Devils in action. The annual event once again served as the perfect preseason showcase, giving players the stage to display their growth, chemistry, and readiness for the upcoming season. From returning stars stepping into bigger roles to newcomers making strong first impressions, there was plenty to take away from the night. Phenom Hoops’ Patrick O’Brien shares his key observations from the scrimmage, highlighting several players who stood out and could play major roles for Duke this year.
Isaiah Evans will be hunting for his shots
The 6’6 sophomore from North Carolina had an eye-catching freshman season at Duke last year, coming up in big moments and showcasing his true potential as a scorer. Now with a year under his belt, Evans looks to be a clear scoring leader on this tea,m and he will be hunting for his shot once again. He has a tremendous chance of leading this team in scoring, especially with what he showed at the scrimmage. Evans moved well without the ball, looked for his spots, showed tremendous range (much like he did last season), displayed a quick release with his jumper, and there is still potential in adding more to his game as a scorer.
Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer impress
Many will be looking at who will be leading the charge on offense, and Foster impressed with his ability to run the offense, facilitate, showcase physicality, and his overall understanding of the position. Foster excelled in being a playmaker and finding others but also flashing speed in his ability to attack downhill. Boozer brings a bit of a different feel to the court, displaying pace and tempo, making strong reads and letting the play develop, and using his size well to his advantage. The Blue Devils look to have two guys who are more than comfortable handling the offense this season.
Highly impressed with the development in Patrick Ngongba
One of the biggest takeaways from the scrimmage that grabbed my attention was the play and feel from sophomore big man Patrick Ngongba. He looked really good in being able to control and operate in the paint, displaying better footwork and being lighter on his feet, showing more speed on the defensive side of the ball, and being more of a factor on the offensive end. With his improvement, Duke will be able to be even more dangerous down in the paint; he even showed his ability to step out from time to time.
Expect Darren Harris to get more minutes
Harris came in as a Top 100 prospect, especially as a 6’5 prospect that can shoot the ball extremely well. He showed that quickly to start the game and has proven time after time that he can be a threat from outside, opening up the offense, and being able to come in off the bench and provide positive minutes. I expect him to be in the rotation with a year under his belt.