Duke Basketball's Cayden Boozer on Staff Impacts: 'Everyone Has Grown'

Earlier this month on National Coaches Day, the Duke basketball social media team recognized fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer and his elite staff by posting some photos of the bunch with the following caption: "Setting the standard. Leading the way."

There's no doubt the 2026-27 Blue Devils feel that way about the collection featuring Scheyer plus Duke associate head coaches Chris Carrawell and Emanuel Dildy, second-year Blue Devil assistant coach Tyler Thornton, first-year Duke assistant coach KJ Conklin, second-year player development coach Jayce McCain, and the rest of the crew in Durham, including a member of the 2025-26 Blue Devil squad in new graduate assistant Jack Scott.

"We definitely have great coaches," Cayden Boozer said in his chat with fellow second-year Duke players Dame Sarr and Sebastian Wilkins on the latest episode of The Brotherhood Podcast. "You've got to give a lot of credit to KJ, just with all the live stuff, because I feel like that's the stuff that translates the most, and we've been doing that since the summer. And you can just see the growth in everyone, whether freshman, transfer, or returner.

"Everyone has grown, and it's just been great to see...Also, a big part of development is just watching film. And I feel like our coaches just do a great job of watching film with us and just keeping it very transparent with what we need to be better at, what we're doing well but how we can just impact winning a lot more."

Sarr, who named Coach Dildy as his go-to instructor since his arrival in Durham from Italy last year, added to the trio's conversation about the staff by pointing out the mentality he and his teammates all seem to share regarding their collective development.

"If you want to get better, you have to be able to accept criticism," Sarr, one of five Duke basketball scholarship talents who were on a 2025-26 Blue Devil roster that produced a 35-3 record and won the ACC Tournament, explained. "And that's why you come here, because they're going to tell you the truth."

More Player Thoughts on Top-Shelf Duke Basketball Coaches

A week and a half ago at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, Duke Blue Devils On SI asked junior center Patrick Ngongba II to chime in on the new additions to Scheyer's staff. Again, that bunch includes Conklin and Scott, but another newcomer is a former Blue Devil big man in first-year player development assistant Javin DeLaurier.

"Those two have been great," Ngongba noted about DeLaurier and Scott. "In the summer, my workouts were with [DeLaurier], who would be guarding me the whole time. So, it's definitely great having him around. And Jack, he was on the team last year. Great guy. Loved being around him. And I just feel like they're helping us get better in practice every day."

At the moment, the staff in Durham is helping the Blue Devils, in contention for a preseason No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 Poll, prepare for an exhibition bout against the visiting Tennessee Volunteers in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network).