Cameron Boozer called Duke 'overlooked,' and I can't wait to hate again
I know, I know. It pains me to admit as much as it pains you to read, but hear me out. I wasn't directly rooting for the Blue Devils. Growing up a Terps fan, I hated them as much as anyone. The problem is I just really enjoyed watching Cooper Flagg play basketball. So, while I didn't actually care about the result of their games, my hope of seeing a great Flagg performance was, by extension, me rooting for Duke.
I feel gross even typing that. It brings me immeasurable shame, only eased by the suspicion that my split interests weren't unique last college basketball season. A lot of us hate Duke. A lot of us also enjoy great players -- and Flagg was able to have one of the greatest freshman seasons ever without being that traditional Duke brand of dislikable. Those two things were hard to reconcile.
Luckily, today, I have good news for those of us who want to restore the feeling: the Boozer twins are here.
Specifically, I'm talking about Cameron Boozer, the five-star kid of Carlos who was named the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year last night at the ESPYs. He wasn't given time for a speech, and judging by a recent interview he gave ESPN, that was probably for the best. Because diving into that story this morning, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Boozer actually let these words come out of his mouth about Duke:
"I think we're very overlooked right now, but once the season starts, that'll change for sure. ... I think just playing together, playing hard, defending, competing, we're going to be in a spot to get [to the Final Four] just like they did last year."
Excuse me, what?? Duke... overlooked!? Next thing you know he'll be telling me about the uphill battle he faced to become a top prospect as the son of a former NBA All-Star. I know a Cowboys-Lakers-Yankees fan when I hear one.
ESPYS: 16 fabulous photos from the red carpet
This is nonsense of course. Nobody is overlooking Duke. The Blue Devils just played in the national championship game and they have the third-best odds (+1300) at BetMGM to win next year's title. Though the team is moving forward without Flagg and its other freshman standouts lost to the draft, Duke once again brought in the top recruiting class, which is simply the new normal down there in Durham. That class includes two other five-star players, Boozer's four-star twin Cayden, and the crowned jewel himself, Cameron -- a projected top-three pick in Bryan Kalbrosky's early 2026 NBA mock draft. At this point, we just expect Duke to be good every year.
If Flagg said something similar last summer, forgive me for missing it. I would have reacted the same way. But thank you, Cameron Boozer, for bringing me to my senses. Comments like that are an easy way to make sure I never get caught slipping again.
2026 NBA Mock Draft
While Cameron Boozer is a top-three pick in BK's new mock, he isn't the projected No. 1 pick. That distinction belongs to AJ Dybantsa of BYU (still weird to think about), who Bryan has landing in Utah, because of course:
"The Jazz have an obvious plan as they enter this phase of their rebuild process after losing key rotation players like John Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson. They're trying to get a high draft pick, and the connections to AJ Dybantsa are obvious. The 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup MVP transferred to prep school in Utah before committing to BYU, where Jazz governor Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge are both alumni and donors. Dybantsa would pair well on the wing with talented Utah rookie Ace Bailey."
BK is the best draft prognosticator in the game, so definitely check out his early mock to familiarize yourself with some of the top names to be on the lookout for.
The NFL has a 2nd-round pick crisis
NFL training camps are due to begin soon, but 30 of the 32 players selected in the second round of April's draft have yet to ink contracts with their respective teams. As FTW's Christian D'Andrea wrote, the reason might have to do with the guaranteed deals of the two players who did sign:
"The answer may lie in Schwesinger and Higgins' contracts. The two signed fully guaranteed deals -- the first time that's happened under the NFL's most recent collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed in 2020. Higgins received four years and $11.7 million. Schwesinger got four years and $11.8 million. While there's no one official reason for this rash of holdouts, the most likely culprit is that teams don't want to dole out all those guarantees."
Here's more of the context of that from Christian, including the names of all 30 players still holding out.
Quick Hits: Mahomes on Flagg ... Klagan?? ... and more
Thanks for reading. We'll be back next week with more.
This was For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
Watch: Chet Holmgren posts offseason workout video
As the summer temperature rises, the NBA calendar slows down. Almost August, we've reached the driest part of the year. The league has gone on vacation. All the major offseason moves have been made, with most front offices happy with how their rosters look. The Oklahoma City Thunder continue to enjoy their NBA championship. Most of the partying has happened over the past month. With training camp two months away, they hope impressive continuity helps their chances of being a rare repeat winner next season. If Chet Holmgren can return to his pre-injury form, that'll be a huge plus. He was on his way to a likely first-time All-Star bid before he suffered a Nov. 2024 hip fracture that cost him three months. The 23-year-old figured out how to drive to the basket and create his offense. Pair that with special rim protection, and you have one of the best young centers. While Holmgren helped the Thunder win the Larry O'Brien trophy with great individual defense, you couldn't help but notice how much his scoring production dipped. His efficiency sank below the floor for a center. He couldn't buy an outside bucket. Now, with an offseason removed from his hip fracture, the Thunder hope Holmgren can return to the star trajectory he was on. The seven-footer posted on social media some of his offseason workouts. In the quick video, you can see him work on his handle and finish through contact. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams received all the flowers for being 20-plus point scorers, Holmgren is not too far behind. Only injuries have limited his ascension. If he can have a healthy fourth season, he can show why those who doubted his contract extension were foolish to do so.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nikola Jokić cries tears of joy, takes champagne shower after his horse wins race in Serbia
Much was made about Nikola Jokić's stoic reaction to winning the 2023 NBA championship. This is not that. Jokić, whose love of his horses is well-documented, watched one of them win a race in his home country of Serbia on Sunday. Arena Sport TV documented the action and Jokić's reaction in a video that the Nuggets shared Sunday afternoon. Jokić let the emotions fly. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] After his horse crossed the finish line, Jokić put his head in his hands in tears. He then hopped a fence to access the track, still in tears as he approached his horse and his jockey with his arms wide open. He then shared a hug with the jockey and gave his horse a pat on the back. The tears kept flowing as he walked with his team to the celebration circle. There, Jokić was in charge of the magnum bottle of champagne. He popped the cork, then sprayed down his team, horse included. He then proceeded to pour champagne on the heads of his team members while saving the final champagne shower for himself. It was a display of unbridled joy. Cue up Jokić's stoic reaction in the immediate aftermath of leading the Denver Nuggets to the NBA championship in 2023: "It's good," Jokić told ESPN when asked how it feels to win his first championship. "The job is done. We can go home now." This reaction resulted in jokes about how much Jokić does or doesn't care about basketball. Which were, of course, silly. Jokić has been the best basketball player in the world for several years running. He's a three-time MVP and a two-time Olympic medalist in addition to being an NBA champion. Of course he cares about about basketball. A lot. One doesn't reach his level without caring. And he did let his guard down in the ensuing celebrations in the Nuggets locker room ... : ... and again during Denver's championship parade: But it's fair to say that Jokić's love for his horses and their racing success holds an unparalleled place in his heart. Nothing — at least in public — seems to come close.
USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 21 - Antoine Wright (2005-08)
The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the "New Jersey Americans". Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today. To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise's jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 22nd of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 21, which has has had a total of 26 players wear the number in the history of the team. The 15th of those players wearing No. 21 played in the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, wing alum Antoine Wright. After ending his college career at Texas A&M, Wright was picked up with the 15th overall selection of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Nets. The West Covina, California native would play parts of the first three seasons of his pro career with New Jersey before he was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in 2008. During his time suiting up for the Nets, Wright wore only jersey No. 21 and put up 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
