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Why Duke basketball freshman Cameron Boozer reminds Jay Bilas of Paolo Banchero
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- Why Duke basketball freshman Cameron Boozer reminds Jay Bilas of Paolo Banchero
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Kansas has ruled out Darryn Peterson for Tuesday night's Champions Classic matchup against Duke at Madison Square Garden.
Cameron Boozer has only suited up for Duke men's basketball four games, but he's already gotten the attention of one of the program's most prominent alums.
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"He is as good a player (as) there is in the country," former Duke center and now ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas told USA TODAY Sports in a recent interview. "He's right there with anybody for national player of the year."
Boozer's campaign is off to a strong start. The five-star recruit has stuffed the stats sheet through his first two weeks with the Blue Devils , showing skills that belie his age of 18 years.
Cameron has posted two double-doubles and is averaging 22.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, all while proving that he can influence the box score in ways that go beyond hitting a mid-range jumper or a 3-pointer.
REQUIRED READING: Duke basketball vs Kansas prediction: Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer highlight top-25 game
His next opportunity to add to that comes Tuesday, Nov. 18 when he makes his Madison Square Garden debut at 9 p.m. ET in the nightcap of the Champions Classic doubleheader against No. 23 Kansas.
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The Miami native hails from Duke royalty as his dad, Carlos Boozer, was a standout forward for the Blue Devils under Mike Krzyzewski from 1999-2002 and part of Duke's 2001 national championship team. Cam's twin brother, Cayden , is also a freshman on the Blue Devils this season.
"He reminds you a little bit of Paolo Banchero with his build and his game, and that's saying something," Bilas said.
Bilas pointed to Boozer's "rare" combination of size, strength and skillset as reasons why Boozer reminds him of the former ACC freshman of the year and No. 1 overall pick.
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"He's got a competitive nature to him. He knows how to play and he's got a maturity that's beyond his age," Bilas said. "You can isolate him and he's going to draw a double team. He's got the wherewithal to pass out of it and find an open teammate when he draws a double. He can go through people, he can go around you, he can go over you, he can go through you.
"He's not guardable but with one guy."
Given the amount of attention that Boozer requires, Bilas says it will have opposing coaching staffs "head scratching" when putting together their scouting reports in preparation to face Duke this season.
"You're going to have to make adjustments and make him see a lot of bodies," Bilas said.
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But with that comes opening up other parts of Duke's roster and game style, like Isaiah Evans taking over the scoring in the Blue Devils' season opener against Texas when Boozer held scoreless in the first half.
"He's such a supernova that is going to draw that much attention," Bilas said.
Boozer also showcased his ability to take over games in both of Duke's preseason exhibitions against Central Florida and Tennessee . He had 24 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal against the Volunteers while finishing with 33 points, 12 rebounds and four assists against the Knights.
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His double-double performance on the road at Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena, one of the tougher venues to play in the SEC, stood out to Bilas.
"I don't care whether it was an exhibition game or practice or scrimmage or what, Rick Barnes doesn't give up 24 rebounds to one guy," Bilas said.
Boozer kicked off his career with the Blue Devils in the Dick Vitale Invitational against Texas, where after the slow start he finished with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.
He has followed that with three consecutive games of at least 15 points and eight rebounds, including a 35-point effort Saturday against Indiana Stated. His performance against the Sycamores is the second-most points in a game by a Duke freshman in program history, only behind Cooper Flagg 's 42 points last season against Notre Dame.
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Boozer's night against Indiana State earned him ACC player and rookie of the week honors. It also made him the first major conference freshman to reach at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists with no more than one turnover since Carmelo Anthony accomplished the feat in 2003 while at Syracuse.
Cam Boozer catching eyes of Coach K
It's that 6-foot-9 frame and ability to be a multi-dimensional player that have caught the eye of his dad's former college coach.
"He has the body of a man. As big as he is, he has great feet. Great feet, not good feet. And he understands the game. He's really an intelligent player, but he can be a very physical player," Krzyzewski recently said in a podcast interview with CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein.
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"I haven't seen (all) the players yet that are playing in college basketball, I've seen a couple, (but) I would have to say he's got to be as unique as anyone and we'll see if he's better than everyone, but he's right there.
".. He rebounds like crazy. He's a double-double guy and he can really pass too, so don't be shocked when you see that first triple-double."
Champions Classic Notebook: Will Darryn Peterson play against Duke?
When Duke and Kansas' non-conference schedules were officially finalized, the Champions Classic matchup was advertised as "must-watch" basketball. This was largely due to the fact that Boozer and Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, two of the top freshmen in the country this season, would be going head-to-head against each other.
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The matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 prospects in 247Sports' Composite Rankings' 2025 recruiting class is no longer happening as Peterson was ruled out by Kansas early Tuesday afternoon due to a lingering hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last two games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton.
"Darryn continues to make progress from his hamstring strain. He will be reevaluated at the end of the week," Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement shared by the program on X (formerly Twitter).
The Blue Devils and the Jayhawks are meeting in the Champions Classic for the fifth time, and the first since 2023 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis . Kansas leads the Champions Classic series against Duke 3-1.
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Kentucky and Michigan State kick off the 2025 Champions Classic with a 6:30 p.m. ET tip-off.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Duke's Cameron Boozer headlines Champions Classic talent showcase
