Freshman Makes Great First Impression For Duke Basketball

We are a month away from the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season as practices have officially begun. For the Duke Blue Devils, the unofficial start happens every year with the annual "Countdown to Craziness" event.

It gives fans an early look at the new team while they get a scrimmage in as well as do introductions. It's one of the premier events of the college basketball preseason and it really makes it feel like basketball is here. 

As Duke prepares for their upcoming exhibition schedule in October, the blue and white scrimmage is a way for fans and the media to potentially see some rotations, starting lineups and players for the first time. 

One of the players who stepped up and made a good first impression? Freshman point guard Deron Rippey Jr. 

The former five-star recruit committed to Duke over a lot of offers, becoming of the best players in the class for the Blue Devils. But on Saturday night, Rippey introduced himself to Duke in a big way. 

The point guard scored the game-winning bucket, a three-pointer, to get the white team to the "Elam Ending" of 28 points. It was a confident shot for Rippey who stepped into it and drained it to end that portion of the scrimmage. Overall, Rippey had a nice night for his first action in a public scrimmage, and he's going to make it hard on Jon Scheyer to keep him on the bench this season.

Rippey Jr. finished the scrimmage with seven points as he made 3-of-5 attempts, with three assists, two steals and a game-best plus-8 overall. His speed was fantastic as he remained in control and was able to make an impact in this scrimmage. 

Rippey's talent and him being ready for this next level could force Scheyer to have to put him on the court more than originally expected. This lines up with what the team was saying at media day just a few weeks. 

Assistant coach Tyler Thornton had nothing but praise for Rippey ahead of this season and he appears to be right. Rippey has the making of a potential early impact player this season for the Blue Devils which would be a bonus. 

While Scheyer and his staff don't have the likes of Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer on the roster, the talent is still there. That includes Rippey who has made his first true impression on this team.