3 Duke Blue Devils stars who stood out in first offseason practice for 2024-25 season
The Duke Blue Devils' preseason is officially underway as they held their first offseason practice ahead of the 2024-25 season on Monday. It will mark their third season under coach Jon Scheyer after he took over for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski following his retirement in 2022.
After finishing 27-9 and being bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the second round in his first season leading the program, Scheyer's team finished 27-9 once again before reaching the Elite Eight. With his most hyped draft class since taking over now in Durham, here's a closer look at three players who have stood out early on.
3 Duke Blue Devils stars who stood out in first offseason practice
#1. Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg joined Duke as a five-star prospect, and the top-ranked overall prospect, in the 2024 recruiting class. While he was originally set to enter his senior year of high school this year, he reclassified following his sophomore season.
He committed to Duke in October 2023 and received plenty of praise after shining on the USA Select Team that practiced with the national team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Flagg lived up to the hype in his first practice and is expected to be among the top players in all of college basketball this year.
#2. Sion James
Sion James initially joined the Tulane Green Wave as a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. He had the best season of his four-year collegiate career in 2023-24, averaging 14.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.4% from the field, 38.1% from 3-point range and 68.3% from the free throw line.
He joined the Blue Devils via the transfer portal following the season. James brings a veteran presence to a young roster and brings the ability to score and defend at a high level during practice.
#3. Darren Harris
Darren Harris was the least highly-touted member of the Blue Devils' six-man incoming freshman class. The four-star prospect was still a top-40 ranked overall player in the 2024 recruiting class. He was among the biggest standouts in the first practice of the offseason as he knocked down all eight three-point attempts.
The offense will likely run through Cooper Flagg with several others expected to get more touches than Harris. If he can knock down 3s at a high volume and high percentage, he could play a vital role in the offense.