After the brutal Final Four loss to Houston ended last season in heartbreak, Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils hit the reset button. The mission this year? Simple: finish what they couldn’t last time and bring a title back to Durham. Sure, the Blue Devils no longer have Cooper Flagg, but don’t think for a second the fire has faded in Durham. That’s because they’ve reloaded with one of the most exciting freshman classes in the country. And leading them is Cameron Boozer.

It wasn’t the brightest start to his Duke debut for Cameron Boozer. The Blue Devils found themselves trailing 33-32 at halftime against the Texas Longhorns, and the freshman phenom was still searching for his rhythm. That’s when head coach Jon Scheyer decided to light a fire under him. According to reporter Anna Snyder on X, Boozer shared what Scheyer told him during the break: “He said I played soft. Which was true.”

Cameron Boozer has been carrying sky-high expectations ever since he stepped on campus — a five-star recruit, a top 3 prospect, and a name that already had Duke fans buzzing. So watching him go scoreless in the first half of his debut was never going to sit well with anyone. But all it took was one honest challenge from Jon Scheyer at halftime to flip the script.

The second half belonged to Boozer. Thirty seconds after halftime, he finally got on the board with two cool, calm free throws. But the magical moment came a minute later when he soared in for a powerful dunk that put Duke ahead 36-33 and sent the crowd roaring. The ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year had five points and 13 rebounds by the end of the game, with 10 of those boards coming after the break.

The Blue Devils ended up sealing a 75-60 victory and leaving Texas coach Sean Miller openly impressed, calling Cameron Boozer a “one-man wrecking crew.” The son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer had posted double-doubles in both preseason games and carried that momentum right into his official college debut. Already projected as a lottery pick, performances like this could push him firmly into the top-three conversation in next year’s draft. The Cameron Boozer era at Duke is off to a dominant start.

But can he be the piece that finally brings Duke back to the top? The Blue Devils haven’t cut down the nets since Coach K guided them to their fifth national title in 2015.

Can Cameron Boozer guide Duke to a championship?

Last season was one of Duke’s best shots at hanging another banner. Jon Scheyer had a dream roster — a strong young core led by phenom Cooper Flagg,  and they bulldozed their way to the Final Four. But it all came crashing down when they let Houston claw back late and steal the win. Since then, the program’s taken some big hits. Flagg is gone. So are Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, and Tyrese Proctor.

But Jon Scheyer has wasted no time reloading. Duke brings in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, headlined by Cameron Boozer, of course. But he is also bringing his twin brother, Cayden Boozer, with him. Add in guard Nikolas Khamenia, sharpshooter Dame Sarr, and athletic wing Sebastian Wilkins, and suddenly the roster looks stacked again.

Scheyer’s squad isn’t just relying on youth, either. The Blue Devils bring back a solid group of veterans.  Senior Maliq Brown, junior Caleb Foster, and sophomores Isaiah Evans, Patrick Ngongba II, and Darren Harris. These returning players will shoulder key leadership duties, helping the highly touted freshmen adjust to the college game.

To give his young roster an even stronger foundation, Scheyer has doubled down on player development. He brought in new assistant coaches Evan Bradds and Tyler Thornton, who have reportedly crafted individualized development plans for every player, according to The Duke Chronicle. With that kind of attention to detail behind the scenes, it’ll be exciting to see how quickly this group evolves!

Jon Scheyer made history last season, becoming the youngest coach since 2011 to lead a team to the Final Four. But this year brings a new challenge. Duke isn’t entering the season as the No. 1 powerhouse like they did before March Madness began,  instead, they’re ranked sixth nationally, trailing behind programs like Houston, UConn, and Florida.

Still, there’s plenty of reason for optimism in Durham. The arrival of the Boozer twins, paired with the return of key veterans, gives Scheyer a strong foundation to build on. But will it be enough to bring a championship back to Duke for the first time since 2015?