Duke is off to its best start in nearly a decade and its mostly due to the all-around play of freshman sensation Cameron Boozer. Less than 10 games into his Duke career and the 6'9" center is on pace to do something no player in school history has ever done.
Boozer arrived in Durham following one of the most decorated high school basketball careers ever. No, that's not hyperbole given the accolades: two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, two-time Mr. Basketball USA, co-MVP of the McDonald's All-American Game, three-time Mr. Basketball in Florida and four state championships.
Had Boozer arrived on almost any other campus in America, he'd likely be considered the most prized freshman in school history.
But this is Duke. And calling Cameron Indoor Stadium home means walking in the footsteps of freshman phenoms like Cooper Flagg, Zion Williamson, Jahlil Okafor, Kyrie Irving and Jay Williams, among many others.
MORE: No player in 30 years has matched what Cameron Boozer just did
Duke's long history of prolific recruits sets the bar remarkably high, even for a player with Boozer's pedigree.
Yet as the calendar flips to December, Boozer's production has somehow exceeded all expectation. And though it's certainly early, he's currently on pace to do something no Duke player — not freshman, but PLAYER — has ever done.
Cameron Boozer stats this season
The box score statistics even without the context jump off the page: 22.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Through eight games, Boozer is leading Duke in all five major statistical categories.
None of Duke's 34 consensus All-Americans (or any other player for that matter) has ever done that, a frightening proposition given the all-around players like Grant Hill, Shane Battier and yes, Flagg, that walked through those doors.
Any one of them alone would make him special.
On scoring along, Boozer's points per game which would be the most by a Duke freshman since Art Heyman in 1961. He's a complete rebounder, forcefully boxing out on the defensive end and crashing the offensive glass with both strength and guile, seemingly always under control.
And the passing numbers, while not gaudy and surely inflated by roster limitations that have left Jon Scheyer without a bonafide lead guard, are actually lower than the eye test might suggest. He's not Nikola Jokic, but Duke runs offense through Boozer from everywhere in the half court. He'll surgically initiate from top of the key, powerfully rifle skip passes over scrambling rotations and deftly dish out of double teams to find open shooters.
So while Boozer — a preseason All-American, Wooden Award watchlist nominee and son of former Duke great Carlos Boozer — arrived in Durham alongside his twin brother, Cayden, with lofty expectations, I'm not sure anybody quite expected this.
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