No. 1 seed Duke saw its season end in heartbreaking fashion during a 70-67 loss to No. 1 seed Houston in San Antonio. After leading by as many as 14 points with just over eight minutes to play in regulation during Saturday’s national semifinal, the Blue Devils squandered a late lead, ending their season and likely the Cooper Flagg era with the program, too.
Heading into Year 4 of the Jon Scheyer era, Duke faces plenty of questions. With Flagg, Kon Knueppel, and Khaman Maluach all likely heading to the NBA, the Blue Devils could be looking at a major overhaul of their starting lineup again. Tulane transfer Sion James has exhausted his eligibility, and veteran guard Tyrese Proctor has a decision to make about returning to school for another season or turning pro.
Proctor is not alone.
Two other names who will have to decide their future with the program are Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans. Foster, a former touted recruit from the 2023 recruiting cycle, played in 37 games and averaged just 5.1 points. Evans, a former five-star recruit who primarily came off the bench, averaged 7.0 points.
Duke will also have to replace assistant coach Jai Lucas, who departed the program before the end of the season to take the job at Miami. So, what’s next for the Blue Devils? Here are three storylines to keep an eye on heading into the offseason.
Duke has blueprint to reach another Final Four
Duke had to make some tough roster decisions last offseason, which saw program legend Jeremy Roach, forward Mark Mitchell and other members of its star-studded 2024 recruiting class enter the transfer portal to build around Flagg properly. The Blue Devils got bigger, faster and stronger in their starting lineup, which resulted in Scheyer’s team being the tallest starting lineup in Division l. Sure, Flagg might not be walking through the doors again, but the Blue Devils have the blueprint for what it takes to reach the final weekend of the college basketball season. Duke overhauled its roster in a big way last offseason. Those changes helped Scheyer’s team dominate the competition in the ACC and reach the Final Four.
Duke made strategic additions via the transfer portal. The Blue Devils didn’t add any highly touted transfers, but the players they did add made a significant impact. James was a steady presence in the backcourt, Mason Gillis provided experience and shooting, and Maliq Brown was one of Duke’s top defenders. Building around five-star forward Cameron Boozer will be key to maintaining the success Scheyer has built.
Can Duke’s 2025 class meet the hype?
Duke’s 2024 recruiting class, which ranked No. 1 by 247Sports, is one of the best recruiting classes of the modern era. Flagg projects as the No. 1 overall pick, and Maluach and Knueppel project as early lottery picks. That doesn’t even include Evans, who has the potential (more on that shortly) to get drafted at the back of the first round if he decides to declare. It’s safe to say that Duke’s incoming class will have high expectations to meet and match when they arrive on campus.
The headliner of Duke’s class is Boozer, the son of Duke and NBA legend Carlos Boozer. Cameron’s brother, Cayden Boozer, a four-star guard in the 2025 recruiting class, is also heading to Duke. The Blue Devils have two more signees in their star-studded class: five-star forward Shelton Henderson and four-star forward Nikolas Khamenia. All four players should play significant roles next season, depending on what Duke does in the transfer portal.
Boozer is the player that stands out in this class. He’s in the (early) running to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft alongside (future BYU forward) AJ Dybantsa and (future Kansas guard) Darryn Peterson. 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein called Boozer the “surest thing in high school basketball.”
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Who stays, who goes?
Multiple players on this Duke roster have interesting decisions to make regarding their future. At the top of that list are Evans and Proctor. Evans could slide as a late Day 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft this summer, or he can return to school to try to improve his stock ahead of the 2026 draft. Evans has been compared to former Duke star Brandon Ingram, and when you watch him play, it’s hard not to see the comparisons and upside.
Evans showed flashes of his potential throughout the season, with his game against Auburn standing out the most. Evans scored 18 points and knocked down six 3-pointers. Evans had 11 games with at least 10 points. Eight of the 11 games were against ACC competition.
Another player with a decision to make is Proctor, who has already bypassed the NBA Draft twice. Proctor returned to school for his junior season this year and showed signs of definite improvement, but there are still question marks around where he would get drafted if he leaves school. Proctor has some tools to succeed at the next level, but his poor free throw shooting this season (68.6%) should cause some concerns. Proctor did shoot a career-high 41.2% from beyond the arc and showed flashes at times this season that he can be a successful pro.
Other decisions to keep an eye on are Foster and Patrick Ngongba ll. It was expected Foster would be Duke’s starting shooting guard next to Proctor in the backcourt, but that never materialized. Foster started in just seven games during the 2024-25 campaign. As for Ngongba, the former top-25 recruit could see his role increase next season with Flagg and Maluach likely gone. It would be valuable for Duke to have Ngongba’s experience in the rotation with Boozer set to enter the program.