Duke was given some brutal injury news recently for the future of this season, as Caleb Foster continues recovering from an injury. While Duke is hopeful he could potentially return later in the NCAA Tournament, head coach Jon Scheyer said that Foster will be sidelined for a significant amount of time.
Foster has been an important part of Duke’s team this season, providing scoring, ball handling, and defense. Losing a player with that type of versatility is never easy, especially when it’s March time.
Still, Scheyer explained that his team is focused on supporting Foster through his recovery while keeping the door open for a potential return if Duke can advance deep into the postseason.
“He's on the road to recovery,” Scheyer said, per Anna Snyder. “In his mind, in our mind, we'll do everything we possibly can with our mindset to continue to advance, where we can give him a shot to come back when it's all said and done. But he is gonna be out for a foreseeable time here coming up.”
That timeline means Duke will need to rely on other players to step into larger roles over the next several weeks. Duke’s depth in the backcourt will be tested as the team deals with the high-pressure environment of the ACC Tourney and March Madness basketball.
Scheyer also addressed what it’d likely take for Foster to realistically return to the floor this season.
“I think the reality of it is we'd have to advance to a Final Four,” Scheyer said. “And is there a chance earlier? I'm not going to eliminate that right now, but I think that's really difficult to try to even imagine that scenario.”
Duke would likely need to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament for Foster to have a realistic opportunity to rejoin the lineup.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the timeline, Scheyer praised Foster’s mindset throughout the recovery process.
“But we're not going to have him the next couple of weeks, next few weeks here,” Scheyer added. “But again, in Caleb's mind, he's going to be back tomorrow.
“For me, I'm with them in the sense of doing something that hasn't been done,” Scheyer said. “Let's chase this, let's keep winning and let's give him the opportunity to join us.”
For more than just the team and the future of it, hopefully, Forster can return healthy and play his game.