Tag: Sion James

Sion James says Duke has ‘got to learn how to win’ close games after two near-upsets

After a run of Duke basketball blowouts, the Blue Devils staved off two upsets in three days. Sion James said the experience is crucial.

The Cameron Crazies probably enjoyed the run of six consecutive blowouts in December and January more than the past three days, but veteran guard [autotag]Sion James[/autotag] said the two close calls will be beneficial for the Duke basketball team down the line.

The Blue Devils beat NC State on Monday night, a 74-64 victory after they fell behind 35-22 in the opening half. The nailbiter came two days after a back-and-forth road win over Wake Forest saw Duke give away a 13-point halftime lead before pulling back to win.

While nine of Duke’s 14 consecutive victories have come by more than 20 points (and two others have come by double-digits), James said after Monday’s victory that the ability to win tough games is crucial.

“We’ve got to learn how to win them,” he said. “I wish we could win every game by 25-plus. That’s my goal going into every single game. But games like this, we learn a lot and we grow up.”

On a fairly young Duke team with three freshman starters, James knows what he’s talking about. He spent four years with the Tulane Green Wave before transferring to Durham, and he’s now played 134 collegiate games with 119 starts.

For his part in the learning process, James scored a season-high 13 points with four rebounds and three assists.

The best Duke basketball photos from Monday’s win over NC State

Check out the best photos from Monday’s Duke basketball victory over the NC State Wolfpack.

The Duke Blue Devils nearly let their lengthy win streak crumble away on Monday night, falling behind the NC State Wolfpack by 13 points in a first half that surely brought up bad memories from last year’s postseason.

Instead, freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] scored 23 points in the second half to spark a 19-0 run around the intermission. He, fellow freshman Kon Knueppel, and veteran guard Sion James combined for 60 points, and the Blue Devils outscored their in-state rivals by 23 points over the final 24 minutes for a 14th straight victory.

Despite two second-half sweats in three days after Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, Duke clinched its first 10-0 start in conference play since the 2007-08 season.

Check out the best photos from Saturday’s rivalry victory below.

Cooper Flagg’s efficient outing helps Duke basketball past SMU for eighth straight win

Thanks to yet another efficient game from freshman superstar Cooper Flagg, Duke halted SMU’s seven-game win streak on Saturday afternoon.

For a minute, it looked like the Blue Devils missed a chance at some easy points in the first half against SMU.

Maliq Brown managed to split two defenders with a perfect bounce pass to Sion James on the baseline, and the former Tulane guard went up and under for a reverse layup. His shot went too far up the glass, however, bouncing harmlessly off the rim and toward the Mustangs’ defense rather than finding its target.

Enter [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].

The freshman superstar flew in from the perimeter and got both hands on the ball, throwing it back through the basket and hanging on the iron for a beat before dropping back to the court.

Flagg’s 24 points helped the Blue Devils (12-2, 4-0) win their eighth straight game in Texas on Saturday afternoon, halting a red-hot SMU (11-3, 2-1) squad for a 89-62 victory.

Duke didn’t lose once in December, but with head coach Jon Scheyer unable to make the trip due to an illness and the Mustangs riding a seven-game win streak of their own with the ACC’s top offense, fans around the conference crossed their fingers to see if a challenger could emerge.

Flagg averaged 16.3 points through his first 12 collegiate games, but if any part of the top-ranked freshman’s game created concern, it was his shooting efficiency. Despite his size and athleticism, the 6-foot-9 forward made just 42.1% of his shots and 25.0% of his 3-point looks before the holiday break.

The presumed No. 1 overall draft pick put forth his most surgical effort yet on New Year’s Eve against Virginia Tech, making nine of his 14 looks for 24 points against the Hokies, and he picked up right where he left off against the Mustangs.

Flagg earned four trips to the free-throw line and connected on a mid-range jumper in the first five minutes against SMU, a quick six points that helped the Blue Devils race out to a 17-7 lead. The first-year star found his mark on four of his eight first-half shots, including that aforementioend putback dunk and his lone 3-point effort, to tally 15 points.

Duke led 41-32 as both teams returned to the locker room, and unlike some other stellar outings this season, Flagg kept his foot on the pedal after the break. He drove to the glass twice in the first three minutes of the second half and rejected an effort from SMU center Samet Yigitoglu to spark another quick run.

The Blue Devils rattled off a 16-6 stretch in the first five minutes of the period, and a 3-pointer from fellow freshman Kon Knueppel gave them a 19-point lead with 15:16 left to play.

Flagg made seven of his 12 shots for the game, his second straight outing above 58% from the floor, and he’s now scored at least 20 in five of Duke’s last seven. His 11 rebounds also gave him a fifth double-double of the season.

James didn’t convert that fancy first-half layup, but the senior guard did notch eight assists as he constantly opened up opportunities around him. The former Green Wave star was known for his ability to drive to the basket at his old school, but he used that scouting report against SMU. James routinely dribbled his way into the paint before kicking the ball out to the perimeter, including one perfect dish to Purdue transfer Mason Gillis late in the opening half, and he only turned the ball over once.

The Duke defense also won the battle of the ACC’s best. SMU paced the conference with 87.2 points per game before Saturday, but the Blue Devils kept the home team to 34.3% from the field.

Only three of Duke’s 14 opponents have shot better than 40% so far this season, and the Blue Devils are allowing 59.2 points per game. After holding the vaunted Auburn Tigers offense to just 78 last month, Saturday’s win showed yet again that Flagg and his teammates can shut down great offenses.

The Blue Devils get the rest of the weekend to celebrate their win, but the work continues on Tuesday with a home game against the 11-2 Pittsburgh Panthers.

Duke basketball phenom Cooper Flagg throws down two-handed dunk at Cameron Indoor Stadium

In his first game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in two weeks, Duke basketball phenom Cooper Flagg reunited with home fans with another huge dunk.

Thanks to a lengthy road trip against Arizona and Kansas, the Cameron Crazies went 13 days without a home Duke basketball game to attend. Freshman phenom [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] rewarded them for their patience during the first half of Friday’s game against Seattle.

With the Blue Devils building a double-digit lead against the Redhawks near the end of the opening frame, Tulane transfer Sion James grabbed the ball right out of Seattle forward Viktor Rajkovic’s hands near the half-court line.

James took a few seconds to gather the ball before lofting a pass to Flagg, who’d sprinted down the court with a free run at the hoop. The 17-year-old star forward gathered the ball in both hands, took a single step, and cocked it back over his head for a dunk that brought all of Durham to its feet.

Friday is just Flagg’s seventh collegiate game, and the first-year Duke forward has already made a habit of thunderous slams on his home court. He finished the opening 20 minutes against Seattle with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Cameron Boozer, 2025 Duke basketball commits officially sign with the Blue Devils

Duke officially inked its third number-one recruiting class of the Scheyer era with four signees, including star forward Cameron Boozer.

The Duke basketball program has relocated to Arizona for Friday’s massive matchup with the Wildcats. While all the focus centers on how the Blue Devils will conquer their first top-25 opponent of this young season, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] and the rest of this program’s staff will silently be able to let out a sigh of relief.

The early signing period has come, meaning commits from the class of 2025 are now eligible to sign their national letter of intent and officially pledge themselves to their schools for next year.

Duke inked four top prospects on Thursday, and the Blue Devils’ social media posted graphics and videos highlighting the signings of the Boozer twins, Shelton Henderson and Nikolas Khamenia.

Duke didn’t have a single commitment at the start of last month, but Cameron and Cayden Boozer, sons of Duke legend Carlos Boozer, got things rolling by hopping in the boat on October 11. In many ways, they were the biggest domino for Duke’s 2025 recruiting cycle as the Blue Devils would see their other two commitments come on board shortly after that in the following weeks.

Cameron, the nation’s second-ranked player in the 247Sports rankings, is often labeled the most complete high school player regardless of class. He will fit right into the shoes of Cooper Flagg, Zion Williamson, Paolo Banchero, and Jayson Tatum as an “alpha” freshman for Duke to essentially play around next year.

Cayden Boozer is a talented guard in his own right, but he’s less heralded than his twin brother. Cayden is a point guard, a position Duke will have its eye on all offseason, especially if Duke loses the services of Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor at the end of this season. Many believe Cayden could be a multi-year point guard like Tre Jones.

Shelton Henderson, another five-star player, is a high-ceiling wing who best projects as a two-way star. He can slash his way to the hoop and create for himself and others. Henderson is an excellent positional rebounder, and his defense is incredible. He’s also physically mature, and he uses his size well. The best way to describe Henderson is a higher-ceiling version of Sion James in every way.

Lastly, four-star combo forward Nikolas Khamenia officially joins the Blue Devils. He committed less than two weeks after the Boozers did, making him the third member of the class. Khamenia excels playing inside out and has an incredibly high basketball IQ, which allows him to be an elite distributor and playmaker from the wing. He is a perfect connective player because he also shoots the ball well. He can slot in several ways for Jon Scheyer next year, making creating lineups and matchups much easier.

Duke’s class is set to be the top class in the nation for the third time in the Scheyer era. The Blue Devils also paced the 2022 and 2024 recruiting rankings.

Duke isn’t finished, either. There is a real chance that Duke will add one more player to this class in the form of Nate Ament, 247Sports’ No. 4 overall prospect. Ament is another high-ceiling player who stands 6-foot-9 and can handle the ball and shoot at a tremendously high level. His best days of basketball are well in front of him.

Ament will decide after the season and will likely let the process play out until the high school all-star game circuit before committing.

Duke basketball shares behind-the-scenes photos from media day

Duke basketball posted some behind-the-scenes images from media day on Thursday, including the first looks at two freshmen and a transfer.

The Duke basketball team shared some behind-the-scenes photos from its media day on Thursday, giving Blue Devils fans some early looks at the new faces on the team.

With 10 players from the 2023-24 roster now in the NBA or with a different program, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] brought in six freshmen and four transfers to replenish his team.

While [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top-ranked player in the class, didn’t make an appearance on the team’s social media teaser, fellow five-star freshman [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] did. The Wisconsin native has emerged as one of the breakout stars from this summer as his teammates keep praising his shooting ability and he keeps rising higher on 2025 draft boards.

The team also shared an official glimpse at Tulane transfer [autotag]Sion James[/autotag], a presumed starter for the 2024-25 season. James, a muscular 6-foot-6 guard who weighs in at 220 pounds, averaged a career-high 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds with the Green Wave last season.

[autotag]Caleb Foster[/autotag], one of two returning starters on the roster, showed back up in his No. 1 jersey after he’s spent the past few weeks as the new host of The Brotherhood Podcast.

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The Blue Devils have already shared some preseason scrimmage content on social media, but fans get their first look at the 2024-25 squad in action at the Countdown to Craziness on October 4.

Duke basketball star Cooper Flagg attends first Blue Devils football game of 2024

Duke basketball sensation Cooper Flagg and his new teammates attended the Blue Devils’ first football game of the year on Friday.

The Duke football team returned to Wallace Wade Stadium on Friday, and the biggest star on campus came out for the opening victory over Elon.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top-ranked freshman in the Class of 2024, attended the first game of the year along with his new teammates.

Flagg, who recently announced an NIL sponsorship deal with New Balance, is the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. He took the top spot in every major recruiting ranking, led his high-school team to an undefeated season and a Chipotle Nationals title, and even played for the Select Team at Team USA Olympic training camp.

He didn’t watch those scrimmages from the sidelines, either, with viral clips showing him dunking against NBA stars and scoring back-to-back baskets. Analysts already think he’ll play for the Americans at the 2028 Olympic Games, and some voices clamored for him to make the team in Paris this summer.

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1829703549485199637

All five of Flagg’s freshmen classmates, including South Sudanese Olympian [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] and fellow five-stars [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] and [autotag]Isaiah Evans[/autotag], attended the game as well. Tulane transfer [autotag]Sion James[/autotag], in his first year with the team, also made an appearance.

Duke basketball preview event Countdown to Craziness set for October 4

Duke basketball fans will get their first look at Cooper Flagg and the 2024-25 roster during Countdown to Craziness, now set for October 4.

Countdown to Craziness, Duke basketball’s fall preview event for Blue Devils fans, finally has an official date.

The 2024-25 Duke basketball team will make its Cameron Indoor Stadium debut on October 4, the team announced on Wednesday.

The fan event, which starts at 7 p.m. Eastern time, will feature both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. That means the Cameron Crazies get their first look at [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag], and the incoming men’s basketball recruiting class while also getting introduced to five-star signees Arianna Roberson and Toby Fournier on the women’s team.

The main event of the evening will be Duke’s Blue-White scrimmage, the unofficial start of the 2024-25 season. The Duke basketball team will be divided into two squads and square off against each other for the first game action of the year.

Flagg appeared on The Brotherhood Podcast earlier this week and gave Duke fans a quick breakdown of his game, his all-time Blue Devils starting five, and more.

Duke basketball posts photo of Cooper Flagg dunking on two teammates

The Duke Blue Devils shared some photos from the men’s basketball team practices on Wednesday and Cooper Flagg threw down on two teammates.

It might not compare to him looking like the best player on the court against the U.S. Olympic Team, but the [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] hype machine gained a little steam again on Wednesday.

The Duke men’s basketball team posted some photos from team practice on Wednesday, and one of the later slides in the Instagram post showed Flagg rising for a dunk over two different teammates.

These weren’t nameless teammates, either. Transfer Sion James and Maliq Brown, two upperclassmen and two presumed starters on next year’s squad. The two players both partially came to Durham with promise centered around their defense.

Between the photo and his time at Olympic training camp, it’s clear Flagg can still look like the generational talent he is promised to be against top competition.

The upcoming Duke freshman remains the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and one FOX Sports talk show host actually renamed next year’s NBA season ‘Capture the Flagg’ in honor of how many teams he assumes will tank for the Blue Devils star.

The photo is the ninth slide down below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9iMjAvRrF4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Fans also got good looks at Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Proctor, and head coach Jon Scheyer sporting some glasses in the slideshow.

College Sports Wire puts Duke atop early ACC men’s basketball power rankings

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton released an early ACC men’s basketball power rankings, and he thinks the Blue Devils are the team to beat.

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton released an early power ranking for the 2024-25 ACC basketball teams on Monday, and he thinks no team is better suited to run the conference than the Blue Devils.

North Carolina swept the Blue Devils last season en route to a conference title, but Patton moved them down to second after Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan, and Harrison Ingram headed to the NBA.

The Tar Heels added two big recruits in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell and Belmont transfer Cade Tyson, as well as retaining All-American RJ Davis. Compared to Duke adding [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], [autotag]Sion James[/autotag], Mason Gillis, Maliq Brown, and multiple other elite freshmen, however, UNC’s additions feel less important to maintain a grip on the conference.

The Blue Devils opened the offseason as national championship favorites, so their position atop the ACC makes sense. But some recent power rankings dropped Duke from the top five due to their reliance on freshmen and moved UNC back above them.

Patton rounded out his top five with Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Miami. Some historical powers finished lower in his top 10 with Virginia in sixth, Syracuse in eighth, and Louisville in ninth.