CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke coach Jon Scheyer offered a challenge to star recruit Cameron Boozer at halftime of the Blue Devils' season opener Tuesday night against Texas, bluntly telling the 6-foot-9 phenom freshman forward that he was “playing soft.”
Boozer got the message and then proceeded to take over the game.
After going scoreless in the first half, Boozer rebounded to finish with 15 points and 13 rebounds, 10 of them after halftime, as the sixth-ranked Blue Devils overcame a 33-32 halftime deficit to beat Texas 75-60 in the Dick Vitale Invitational at Spectrum Center.
“I just tried to forget about it,” Boozer said of his disappointing first half, which included missing all seven field goals.
Texas coach Sean Miller walked away impressed, calling Boozer a “one-man wrecking crew.”
“I think he's one of the best players in the country,” Miller said. “I would be hard-pressed to believe there is a freshman who is better…His rebounding ability is amazing. He had 12 defensive rebounds tonight. It's really hard in a 40-minute college game to get 12 defensive rebounds.”
“And,” Miller added, “he could have had a mediocre game for him.”
Boozer changed the momentum of the game in several ways.
He stepped up his physicality to get to the line 12 times in the second half, making nine free throws. In addition to his double-double in the second half, he also added three assists, two steals and a block.
One play in particular stood out: When Boozer received the ball in the low post, he moved away from his defender and made a layup while drawing a foul for a three-point play, helping Duke build a 14-point lead with five minutes remaining.
It's the kind of play that has some believing Boozer, the son of former Duke great and NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, is a can't-miss lottery pick in next year's NBA draft.
“He's just a competitor and a winner, and the ability to flip that switch in the game, I think that's what a lot of guys struggle with,” Scheyer said. “That's not an easy thing.”
Miller said he liked how his team held off Boozer in the first half.
But he said Duke's ability to stretch the floor makes it difficult to defend for 40 minutes.
“The way they play, they put tremendous pressure on the defense,” Miller said. “I think what you'll find overall is that the second half against Duke is tough. Because you can just do it for a while, but it's like that running game in football and then the third and fourth quarters, it's like, man, they just beat you.”
