Freshman power forward Cameron Boozer suffered a few cuts and bruises during the No.1 Duke Blue Devils 93-64 victory against the NC State Wolfpack on Monday.
In the postgame press conference, the freshman star addressed the minor injuries he sustained. Boozer also took a cheeky jab at NC State while talking about the game.
“(The injuries happeneed) somepoint in the second half,” Boozer said. “One of their big man. The Wolfpack got me, you know. They got long claws. So, yeah, I mean, I think it just goes to show our fight that we brought to this game. Part of our guys, like coach said, when they see our right. So, it’s big time for our team for sure.”
Monday’s victory helped the Blue Devils secure their 22nd ACC regular-season title. They improved to a 28-2 (16-1 ACC) record while securing the top spot in the conference.
Cameron Boozer was the top scorer in the game played at the Lenovo Center. He had 26 points with nine rebounds and three assists to help Duke clinch the victory. The freshman star also converted eight of the 10 field goals he attempted on the court.
Coming out of high school, Boozer had offers from programs like Miami and Florida. However, he decided to commit to play for Jon Scheyer’s team. Before Monday’s showdown against NC State, he played in all 29 games and averaged 22.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game with a 57.7% field goal percentage.
College basketball analyst draws parallel between Cameron Boozer and former Duke star Paolo Banchero
Last month, on ESPN’s “Get Up,” analyst Seth Greenberg highlighted that Cameron Boozer is similar to former Duke star Paolo Banchero.
He dismissed the freshman star’s comparison with his dad and two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer while drawing similarities with the Orlando Magic power forward.
“Not his daddy. Paolo Banchero, another Duke great,” Greenberg said. “You know, that poise he plays with, the versatility of this game, his ability to drive closer, his ability to stretch the defense, his physicality on both ends of the floor, his feel for the game- to me, body, type, skillset, physicality, feel, IQ, competitive spirit, it says Paolo Banchero to me, and that’s a pretty good comparison.”
Banchero played for the Blue Devils for just one season (2021-22) before declaring for the 2022 NBA draft. The Orlando Magic drafted him with the first overall pick.
Cameron Boozer is also expected to be “one-and-done” and declare for this year’s NBA draft.
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Edited by Priyam Hazarika
