Duke coach Jon Scheyer's frank message made an impression on John Blackwell when the former Wisconsin guard entered the transfer portal.
"He just kept it real," Blackwell told reporters. "He didn't sugarcoat. He said we're going to push you every single day. That's what it's been."
Blackwell believes that approach could help him cap his college career with a deep postseason run with the second-ranked Blue Devils.
The 6-foot-5 guard scored 1,505 points in three seasons at Wisconsin to rank 11th on the Badgers' career scoring list. Blackwell averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last season while helping Wisconsin go 24-11 before an 83-82 loss to High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"He's a proven scorer who's been in those moments, also understands he doesn't need to the ball to always impact winning," Scheyer told reporters.
A media panel made Blackwell a first-team preseason all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. Blackwell finished second to Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder in voting for ACC preseason player of the year.
Blackwell's preseason performance showcases how much of an impact he could make for Duke. He scored 23 points in a 90-84 win over No. 17 Kansas and 18 points in a 103-64 victory over No. 8 Tennessee.
Here's a look at some other transfers who should make big contributions for their new teams:
This 6-foot-9 forward from the Democratic Republic of the Congo earned second-team Associated Press all-Big 12 honors last season and was selected by Big 12 coaches the league's defensive player of the year. He totaled 145 blocks in two seasons at Kansas, and he averaged 13.3 points and 9 rebounds in 2025-26. An Atlantic Coast Conference media panel made him a preseason first-team all-ACC selection. No. 11 Louisville also has Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad, a preseason second-team all-ACC pick.
Harris comes to Tennessee after scoring 21.4 points per game at Wake Forest last season as an AP second-team all-ACC selection. The 6-foot-7 guard played 1,230 minutes last season, the most by any Wake Forest player since at least 1974-75. SEC coaches made him a second-team preseason all-conference selection.
Momcilovic led all Division I players in 3-point baskets (136) and 3-point percentage (.487) while scoring 16.9 points per game for Iowa State last season. His 136 3-pointers also represented the second-highest, single-season total in Big 12 history. Momcilovic, a 6-9 forward, totaled 260 3-pointers in three seasons at Iowa State. He has made 42.9% of his career 3-point attempts. SEC coaches made him a preseason second-team all-conference pick. Momcilovic scored 19 points for No. 23 Kentucky in an exhibition win over Central Florida and 15 in an exhibition victory over Texas Tech.
Big 12 coaches selected this 6-8 forward from Lithuania as the league's preseason newcomer of the year. They also made him a preseason all-conference selection. Murauskus began his career at Arizona but played for new Arizona State coach Randy Bennett at Saint Mary's the last two seasons. He earned first-team all-West Coast Conference honors each of his years at Saint Mary's. Murauskus had 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season.
Thomas came to No. 10 Houston after averaging 15.3 points and 6.5 assists in 16 games at LSU before an injured left foot knocked him out for the rest of the 2025-26 season. He had four times as many assists as turnovers. Big 12 coaches put Thomas on their preseason all-conference team. Thomas played two seasons at UNLV before joining LSU last year. The 6-1 guard has averaged 14.6 points and 5.3 assists in 76 career games, including 75 starts.
The 6-5 guard from the West African nation of Benin set a Baylor freshman scoring record with 605 total points last season while averaging 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2 steals. He ranked 10th among all Division I freshmen in points per game and third in steals per game. Big East coaches made Yessoufou a first-team preseason all-Big East pick. He scored 23 points for No. 13 St. John's in an 87-74 preseason exhibition victory over Texas.
