Cameron Boozer's Duke Blue Devils coach called him 'soft' — and then he dominated Texas

Senior Editor
Cameron Boozer's Duke Blue Devils coach called him 'soft' — and then he dominated Texas image

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 in 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."

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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.

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Staff Writer