Duke let standout PG Jeremy Roach walk; a year later, retooled Blue Devils draw Roach, Baylor in March Madness

When Duke came up short in last year’s Elite Eight loss to NC State, the Blue Devils retooled their roster ahead of the arrival of star freshman Cooper Flagg with the idea of getting back to the final weekend of the college basketball season on the forefront. 

That meant seeing program legend Jeremy Roach, forward Mark Mitchell and other members of Duke’s star-studded 2024 recruiting class enter the transfer portal to properly build around the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. 

Coming off the best statistical season of his college career, losing Roach — or even electing to encourage him to transfer — could’ve been viewed as a massive risk for the Blue Devils. Roach averaged 14 points per game and shot 42.9% from the 3-point line while providing a steady veteran presence in the backcourt. But Duke needed to, quite simply, get a lot bigger to execute an insanely versatile lineup coach Jon Scheyer had in mind.

Roach’s decision to transfer came after what sources described as a respectful, mutual understand that Duke intended to move in a different direction. Staying at Duke for Roach likely would have meant playing off the ball as Duke envisioned Flagg and fellow five-star freshman Kon Kneuppel initiating their share of the offense — this in conjunction with Scheyer’s designs for a bigger lineup. For the 6-foot-2 Roach’s NBA stock, staying at point guard was best for his future. 

Roach’s exit from the school he called home for four years will come full circle Sunday when No. 1 seed Duke faces No. 9 seed Baylor with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Roach said in an interview before the 2024-25 season that he wanted to “stay” at Duke, but “stuff didn’t meet up.”

“It was just my time to go,” Roach told The Field of 68 in September. “… I did my four years, sacrificed a whole lot, and I made the most of it. It was no hard feelings or anything like that. It was all cool.”

When Scheyer was asked about the reunion after his team’s 93-49 win over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary’s on Friday, he kept his answer short and sweet.

“Obviously I love Jeremy,” Scheyer said postgame. “I coached him for four years, two as an assistant, two as a head coach, and he’s given Duke everything he has. I know Jeremy, and he knows me and us. We’re not going to make this about that. … This should be about Duke and Baylor. But at the end of the day, obviously Jeremy has been an important guy for our program with what he’s done, and he’s done a really good job this year.”

Duke has rolled with the same starting lineup (outside of just three games) since Dec. 4. After Caleb Foster started the first seven games of the season, Scheyer changed his starting lineup amid a 5-2 start by swapping him in favor of Tulane transfer Sion James, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound beast who does not look like your normal point guard. 

Duke’s strength in numbers: More than just the Cooper Flagg Show — and way too much for North Carolina

Trey Scott

Duke went from the 33rd-ranked tallest team in the country last season (average height 78.2 inches) to No. 1 (79.8). With James, Proctor, Kon Knueppel, Flagg and Khaman Maluach in the starting lineup, Duke is a bigger and better defensive team than last year. Duke ranked 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com, and ranked No. 4 this season.

Part of the uptick in defensive efficiency is because Flagg is one of the best rim protectors in the country and Maluach is a tall and imposing force at 7-foot-2 down low next to him. Duke may have the tallest average height of any roster in the country, but the Blue Devils are athletic enough to switch everything 1-5 and have backline rim protection waiting behind them.

🏀 Duke’s Starting 5

The results speak for themselves. The Blue Devils beat No. 2 Auburn the night of the lineup switch in the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge and have lost just one game with James in the lineup. At 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, James offers a different dynamic in the Duke lineup than Roach did last season. Although James is only averaging 8.7 points, he is shooting a career-high 42.2% from the 3-point line (on 1.9 attempts per game) and has been a reliable defender next to Tyrese Proctor in the backcourt. 

Roach was a starter on the Blue Devils 2021-22 team that reached the Final Four in Mike Krzyzewski’s final season with the program. Less than three years later, he will be on the other side of the matchup with a chance to play spoiler.

“It is surreal,” Roach said after the game on facing his old team. “It’s a place where I grew up for four years. Just big time, giving me this opportunity in a 1-9 game,” said Roach. “It’s just super exciting. Not really trying to think too hard about it. Not really trying to get too emotional about it. Just play it like a regular game.”