Duke star Cam Boozer helped the No. 6 Blue Devils beat the Texas Longhorns 75-60 in their season-opener on Tuesday. Boozer tallied a double-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists in the contest. Boozer’s college basketball debut was widely anticipated as the forward has been tabbed as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Cam Boozer Gets Praise From Sean Miller
After putting his team to the sword, Texas coach Sean Miller lavished praise on Boozer’s performance during his postgame news conference. “I think he’s one of the best players in the country,” Miller said. “I’d have a hard time believing there’s a freshman that is any better…His ability to rebound is amazing. He had 12 defensive rebounds tonight. That’s really difficult in a college game at 40 minutes.”
“He’s a one-man wrecking crew. His ability to rebound the ball is incredible,” Miller added.
Despite the praise, Boozer had an off night, shooting 3-of-12 from the floor and going scoreless in the first half of the game against Texas.
Talking about his first half, the 18-year-old said he ‘just tried to wash it off’, and put up a stellar performance afterward. Boozer admitted during his postgame news conference that Duke coach Jon Scheyer called him out for being soft after he finished the first half against the Longhorns scoreless.
While speaking to the media after the game, Scheyer was delighted by his star forward’s performance in his first college basketball game and pressure of performing.
“I was proud of him,” Scheyer said. “That’s not an easy first game. That’s not an easy situation to be in. He’s just a competitor, and he’s a winner. The ability to flip that switch during a game, I think that’s what a lot of guys have struggled with, that’s not an easy thing.”
“His impact for us is more than just the scoring and the rebounding. He helped get us into the bonus, and we hit a lot of free throws. It’s the defense; he’s switching everywhere on the floor. So for me, just his attitude, his maturity to handle that situation, I think that says a lot about who he is as a competitor,” Scheyer added.
Cam Boozer and his twin, Cayden Boozer, have stolen the spotlight after committing to their father, Carlos Boozer’s alma mater, and the weight of expectation on them to deliver a national championship is at an all-time high. Meanwhile, Duke will prepare for their upcoming match against the Western Carolina Catamounts.
