Jon Scheyer suffered one blow this offseason, and he suffered it strongly. Spearheaded by Cooper Flagg — the Blue Devils’ engine over the last campaign — Duke was losing four of its core players to the NBA draft. Apart from Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, Khama Maluach, and Sion James won’t turn up for the program next season. For a team that swept the ACC championships and advanced to the Final Four for the first time under head coach Jon Scheyer, it means they will have an entirely new starting lineup. Still, Scheyer isn’t panicking. He managed to retain every other scholarship player from last season, and you already know his success stories with the freshman class– 2nd No.1 in a row. So, Scheyer is keeping his “trust” in the program.

“Our program has been built on communication and trust and having hard conversations or direct conversations at a moment’s notice,” he had said at Final Four. Looks like the result of it has been reflected in a second consecutive off-season where a rotation player hasn’t entered the portal. With Darren Harris’ official confirmation on Wednesday, Scheyer has 5 core players returning– Isaiah Evans, Pat Ngongba, Maliq Brown, and Caleb Foster. While this bodes well for Scheyer, not everyone is on board with this lineup.

On the April 22 episode of the Locked on College Basketball podcast, Isaac Schade and DeShaun Tate got around to discussing the probable starting 5 for the Blue Devils next season. But the hosts did not have any names they could for sure say were going to make the lineup, save for the Boozer twins.

“I feel like this is a weird class in the sense of which everybody is going to have to earn their keep,” Tate began. “With the exception of the Boozer twins. I think both of them will be starters right off the bat.” One wouldn’t argue there. Cayden and Cameron Boozer are two of the 3 five-star recruits Scheyer has signed this year, ranking No. 21 and No.2 in their class, respectively. They are coming off as two of the winningest players in high school basketball across high school, AAU, and USA basketball. While neither Schade Tate can completely agree on the rest, they do consider Evans, who averaged 6.8 points and 1.1 rebounds in his freshman season, however, they were quite quick to dismiss one name.

“Caleb Foster could be in that mix as well. I just…He didn’t really show me much. I don’t think he is the dude,” Schade added, and his co-host did not refute, nodding along.

It was a rollercoaster of a season for Foster. After starting the season as Duke’s preseason point guard, he found himself relegated to the end of the rotation by midseason. However, the 6-foot-5 guard didn’t let that setback define him. By the time March Madness rolled around, Foster had fought his way back into the mix, playing a crucial role in Duke’s deep run to the Final Four. In fact, during their high-stakes showdown with Houston, Foster was arguably the Blue Devils’ second-best backcourt player, showcasing his resilience and skill when the team needed him most.

The soon-to-be junior guard averaged a total of 14 minutes last season, coming off the bench for 31 of the 38 games he played. His best came during the East Region First Round game when Foster logged 20 minutes, scoring 20 points and grabbing three rebounds. Given how the season started for him, it was believed that he would leave Durham to start afresh elsewhere, but last Thursday, he announced why he would be returning to the program.

“What’s up, Duke fans? It’s C-Fos here,” Foster said on the program’s in-house podcast on April 17. “As I mentioned before on previous podcasts that, growing up, it’s always been a dream of mine, chasing championships here at Duke. That has not changed, and I’m excited to announce that I’ll be coming back for my junior year to keep going and keep pursuing to get that national championship, number six.”

In his two seasons at Duke, Caleb Foster has averaged 6.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. He’s shot 43% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc, showing steady growth in his game. While his form dipped in his sophomore year as he fell out of favor, he kept fighting for his place, and it did not go unnoticed and unacknowledged by the head coach. The analysts rightly have their doubts, but Scheyer isn’t giving up.

Coach Jon Scheyer and Foster to persist on making it work

The former five-star prospect’s season had a downward slope when he went from Duke’s preseason starter at point guard to the end of the rotation by the middle of the season. He came back up from adversity to give a meaningful contribution to the team at the end of the season. But the questions remained persistent.

“I think Caleb and I would say, this isn’t how we thought the season would go for him,” Jon Scheyer told the media in March. “And you can do one of two things. You can make excuses — I’m saying for either of us — and you can point the finger. Or you can keep doubling down on the process and addressing what has to be done for it to improve. And that’s what I’ve focused on with Caleb.”

So it’s really been a topsy-turvy journey for Foster at Duke since the beginning of his college career. It seems he has not given up his dream to succeed at Duke just yet, as he is dedicated to staying there.

The coach’s words are only an added motivation.  When he chose Duke, he had offers from several other programs, such as Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson, and Wake Forest. His dedication to succeed for the Blue Devils really stands out. Maybe this time, he will show the colors will suit him too.