Star freshman Cameron Boozer delivered a double-double in his debut as the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Texas Longhorns 75-60 at the Dick Vitale Invitational. The freshman forward finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, all of his scoring coming in the second half after a scoreless first 20 minutes.
Speaking to broadcasters Dick Vitale and others in a postgame interview shared by SportsCenter NEXT on X, Boozer reflected on his performance and what changed after halftime.
“Yeah, for sure. Obviously, a rough first half,” Boozer said. “All my teammates did a great job picking me up at halftime. Scheyer did a great job drawing some plays for me to get going. All my teammates found me.”
The Blue Devils trailed 33-32 at the break after the 6-foot-9 forward missed all seven of his field goal attempts. But Duke flipped the script in the second half, outscoring Texas 43-27 to pull away for the comfortable victory.
He explained that the halftime deficit didn't rattle the team. They had been in similar situations during their exhibition games and knew exactly how to respond.
“Yeah, so our first two exhibition games, we did the same thing. We're comfortable in this position,” he said. “We tried to change our energy, defensive intensity. Came out, we were a tougher team in the second half, and that's why we got the win.”
Cameron Boozer got a double-double and a win in his collegiate debut 🏀💪
Hear what he had to say after helping Duke secure the victory at the Dick Vitale Invitational ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Yb4WrQHaPv
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) November 5, 2025
Head coach Jon Scheyer challenged his star freshman at halftime, bluntly telling him that he had played too softly. Scheyer was proud of the defensive effort overall, despite feeling the team didn't have their best performance. The message clearly got through as Boozer dominated the glass and attacked the basket relentlessly in the second half.
The son of former Duke star and two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer showcased his rebounding instincts throughout the game. When asked about where that ability comes from, the freshman didn't hesitate to credit his father's influence.
“For sure. I mean, he was a great rebounder,” he said. “A lot of his instincts.”
Playing in the first-ever Dick Vitale Invitational added extra significance to the debut. Sitting alongside the legendary broadcaster after the game, Boozer acknowledged the honor and Vitale's impact on college basketball.
“Yeah, it's an honor for sure. Obviously, he's been huge for college basketball,” he said. “It's great to be sitting next to you right now. I'm sure college basketball appreciates everything you do for it.”
The five-star recruit finished his debut with an impressive stat line beyond the double-double. He shot 9-of-12 from the free-throw line and added three steals, two assists, and one block in 36 minutes of action.
Duke improved to 1-0 on the season and will host Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon. Boozer will look to build on his strong debut performance as the Blue Devils begin their championship pursuit.
