It's likely, or at least it seems likely, that Jeremy Roach won't be joining Durham next season for his fifth season of Duke basketball. Even so, the program has an influx of five-star freshmen with the recently announced return of proven weapons in the backcourt in sophomore Caleb Foster and junior Tyrese Proctor. With that in mind, Roach may have to accept a role off the bench. .
There are other pieces that still need to fall into place for the Blue Devils.
As it stands, third-year head coach John Scheier and company will need to fill up to three scholarship spots, assuming Roach leaves. And they will likely find that talent through the transfer portal over the coming weeks, acquiring a player or two who could be considered starters and even potentially adding more experience to their core lineup.
Related: All-ACC defender considering transfer to Duke
But even with no transfer commitments so far, some lineup combinations look formidable, albeit relatively young.
With that in mind, Duke University's basketball team will use only 10 players who are either included in the 6-tier recruiting class in 2024 or are among the 4-tier players expected to return. The following are examples of players who are expected to be starters.
1. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor. 6-foot-5, 183 pounds.He averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game last season.
2. Sophomore guard Caleb Foster. He is 6-foot-5, 197 pounds.He averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last season.
3. Freshman forward Cooper Flagg. 6-foot-9, 200 pounds. No. 1 overall in 247Sports 2024 Composite
4. Sophomore forward Sean Stewart. 6-foot-9, 227 pounds.He averaged 12.7 points, 15.3 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.3 blocks per 40 minutes last season.
5. Freshman center Carman Maruaha. 7-foot-1, 250 pounds. 247Sports 2024 Composite 6th overall
The above lineup has the potential to develop into first and foremost defensive giants thanks to their notable size, length, and athleticism, not to mention the fact that all five are five-star prep players. .
That being said, it can be debated which of the 10 scholarship players currently in the lineup is a candidate to be the starter. Among them are elite shooters in freshmen Isaiah Evans, Conn Knuppel and Darren Harris, returning sophomore TJ Power, and freshman Patrick Patrick, another five-star center. Includes Gomba II.
Depending on the transfer route and Roach's decisions, Duke basketball could match last year's No. 2 preseason ranking.
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