Billy Heyen Cameron Boozer didn’t score in the first half of his official college basketball debut for the Duke Blue Devils . And in the locker room, he heard about it. After the game, Boozer told reporters that head coach Jon Scheyer had told him he was “playing soft.” The freshman phenom responded.
After going 0-for-7 from the floor in the first half, Boozer quickly made three separate two-shot trips to the foul line out of halftime. He finished the second half with 15 points. Boozer totaled 13 rebounds and three steals on the game, too. Duke trailed by a point at halftime, but won by 15.
Pretty straightforward correlation there from zero Boozer points and a halftime deficit to 15 second-half Boozer points and a 15-point win. “He’s just a competitor and he’s a winner, and the ability to flip that switch in game, I think that’s what a lot of guys struggle with,” Scheyer told reporters after the game, which was played in Charlotte.
“That’s, that’s not an easy thing.” MORE: Mikey Williams, Shaqir O’Neal have bumpy season debuts for Sacramento State Boozer is one of the big three freshmen in college basketball this season, along with BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson. They’ll compete for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
And while half number one didn’t go the way Boozer or Duke would’ve wanted, he quickly showed what he’s capable of. There’s likely plenty more where that second half came from. Duke will be home on Saturday to take on Western Carolina in a game that should be a little simpler. Expect Boozer to come out with his foot on the gas in that one. No need for any more soft first halves.
More college basketball news: Carmelo’s son Kiyan Anthony has an impressive college debut How to tell the Boozer twins apart Why Florida’s 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux isn’t playing for defending champion Gators Darryn Peterson was super smooth in his college debut Why Bryce James isn’t playing more for Arizona as freshman college basketball son of LeBron James Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News.
He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
Source: Sporting News
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