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Duke announces Cayden Boozer will return for 2026-27 season

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs04/16/26grant_grubbs_

Duke guard Cayden Boozer will return for the 2026-27 season, the program announced Thursday. Boozer was a true freshman this past season.

Boozer made 38 appearances and 11 starts for the Blue Devils this past season. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 22.8 minutes per game. Boozer shot 50.0% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc.

Boozer found his stride late in Duke’s season and was instrumental in the team’s ACC Tournament victory. Boozer played well in the NCAA Tournament, but received significant criticism for a single moment in Duke’s season-ending loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.

With 10 seconds remaining in the showdown, the Blue Devils had the ball and led by two points. They inbounded the ball and swung it around the backcourt before it ultimately landed in Boozer’s hands.

As his head coach, Jon Scheyer, motioned for him to do so, Boozer attempted to toss the ball over the Huskies’ defense into the front court to ice the game. Instead, the ball got tipped and, thanks to a selfless pass from Alex Karaban, UConn’s Braylon Mullins hit a 35-foot 3-pointer to win the game.

In the blink of an eye, Duke’s season was over. After the game, Boozer was emotional.

“I turned the ball over. I should’ve been stronger with the ball,” Boozer said. “I cost our team our season.

“… I saw Dame (Sarr) get trapped, I went to the outlet, obviously I saw two people down there, Isaiah (Evans) and Pat (Ngongba), just tried to get them the ball since Isaiah’s our best free-throw shooter. … I could’ve been stronger with the ball, and I let our team down.”

Now, Boozer will have an opportunity to bounce back from the devastating moment. Cayden Boozer’s brother, Cameron, hasn’t officially declared for the 2026 NBA Draft yet, but is expected to be a top five pick.

He was named the AP National Player of the Year after averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game this past season. While Cayden Boozer likely won’t have his brother by his side at Duke next season, he’ll have no shortage of talent around him.

Duke boasts the No. 1 incoming recruiting class. The group includes three five-star prospects, including Cam Williams, who is the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.