Cameron Boozer’s stat line Saturday night against Wake Forest was just another day for the youngster, but as I said earlier this week, it’s getting ridiculous. Thirty-two points, nine rebounds and four assists in a win would be the best game for most players… but it feels like this is just another normal Saturday.
For Duke, performances like that have become expected. What continues to stand out, however, is how confident and maybe even underrated the young man has been.
After the win, head coach Jon Scheyer spoke about what Boozer is, and why he believes the future NBA star is one of the best players in college basketball.
“Cam is never satisfied, I think that's the great thing about him,” Scheyer said, per Anna Snyder of the Fayetteville Observer. “He'll find something from tonight's game, I'm sure, where he's pissed at, he didn't do as well, even though he had 32 (points), nine (rebounds) and four (assists). That's what makes him special. He's wired, he's all about his teammates. He's not about numbers, he's about winning. I think when your best player is that way, it becomes contagious and have a big effect on the rest of the group.”
Scheyer’s comments also speak to leadership, something we just don’t see in this era with freshmen, even the best ones. Boozer has had to fill the shoes of some legends at Duke, and is doing so as a star on and off the court.
When the best player holds himself accountable after a dominant performance, it brings even more to others. Boozer expects the most out of himself and that all starts to pour over to others on the roster.
Another important aspect is that the young man just wants to win. It’d be easy to get caught up in the game, trying to put up the best stats to get picked first overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, and many other things. Instead, however, he goes out there and does what's needed for Duke to win the game. Obviously, that will translate at the highest level, so he needs to continue doing so.