It was supposed to be just another summer workout. Same drills. Same energy. Same rotations.
But today?
Today was different.
From the moment the players stepped onto the floor, there was a noticeable edge. No music. No laughter. Just locked-in eyes and short answers.
Veterans like Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans usually bring the energy — but today, even they were silent. That silence was louder than anything. It set the tone. Something was brewing.
Then the first scrimmage started.
And that’s when it really got weird — in the best way possible.
Cameron Boozer, the freshman big who’s been praised for his maturity, was calling out switches like a senior.
Dame Sarr, typically smooth and silent, got vocal after hitting two straight threes over a much older defender.
Nikolas Khamenia? He was diving for loose balls like the season was on the line.
And Sebastian Wilkins, the athletic forward flying under the radar, made back-to-back hustle plays that turned heads on the bench.
The coaches noticed. So did the veterans. Suddenly, this didn’t feel like summer anymore — it felt like a message.
That’s when Jon Scheyer made the shift.
He cut the scrimmage short, broke the team huddle, and threw out a rotation that no one expected — blending freshmen and returners, guards and wings, stars and role players. And he let them go at it.
Intensity. Talk. Trash.
No one backed down.
And no one left that gym the same.
Whatever Duke’s staff did today — it worked.
Because something about this practice didn’t feel normal.
And for a team looking to make a statement in March, that’s exactly the point.
