Cameron Boozer did not need to say much. His stat line did most of the talking: 35 points on 13 of 16 shooting, 12 rebounds, five assists, and a performance that tied him for the second most points ever scored by a Duke freshman. The only player ahead of him on the list is Cooper Flagg, who scored 42 against Notre Dame last season.
But when asked in his postgame availability whether he knew he was flirting with history, Boozer shook it off.
“Uh, no. I wasn’t really thinking about that,” he said. “I was thinking about what my team needed me to do for the win. Me and my boy Maliq Brown, we connected on some plays.”
The connection was noticeable, and Boozer said it is not by accident.
“We are super connected on and off the court,” he said. “A great team is not only connected on the court but off the court. The vets and the young guys get together. You do not see that on every team.”
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He opened the game on fire but insisted it was not about sending a message. “I kind of changed my mentality from the last game to this game,” he said. “Focus on the right things like defense, rebounding, pressing the ball. When I am doing those things, the other side just naturally happens.”
Even his highlight dunk, one that looked destined for a wild celebration, turned into a lesson in discipline.
“We have a saying here. It is called next play mentality,” Boozer said in an interview shared by Sports Videos on SI. “No celebrating. You have to move on quickly to get to the next play.”
Cameron stayed grounded when asked about his early season surge and the way his Duke career has opened. When the conversation shifted to joining elite company like Flagg, his reaction stayed measured.
“It is cool,” he said. “Anytime you are mentioned with guys who have done great here and are doing great at the next level, it is great to be in conversation with them...We are in a great place. We just have to focus on the little things like defending, rebounding, fifty fifty balls.”
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