With No. 2 Duke poised to open its season in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Dartmouth, the Blue Zone highlights a potential difference-maker for both the Blue Devils and the Big Green:
Duke: Caleb Foster
Behind the star-studded firepower of Duke’s returning starters lies an opportunity for a newcomer to shine.
Caleb Foster excels as an on-ball scorer. He is a gritty shot-maker who has demonstrated success all across the floor. Whether lighting it up from behind the arc with a deep bag of step-backs and pull-ups or driving to the rim with impressive handles, the freshman knows how to make his presence felt.
The Harrisburg, N.C., native became the first commit to the eventual No. 2 overall Blue Devil recruiting class in Sept. 2021. 247 Sports rates the freshman as the fourth ranked combo guard and No. 22 overall player in his class. This rating came in as Foster claimed 25.2 points while shooting 44.4% from deep in a dominant 2022 Nike Peach Jam performance, highlighting his impressive efficiency and consistent scoring ability. He then went on to put up an impressive line of 21.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in his senior year with Notre Dame, enough to earn MaxPreps California Player of the Year honors.
Foster now enters the 2023-24 season with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder. The 6-foot-5 guard was considered a snub for the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game.
“I need to get ready for [college] and I can prove then why I should’ve been a McDonald’s All-American,” said Foster on missing the annual event highlighting the nation’s top seniors.
He has since shown strong flashes of what he can accomplish this season in early team scrimmages. Although likely coming off the bench, Monday’s matchup will be a prime opportunity for Foster to come in and show that he is one of the best in his class.
Dartmouth: Ryan Cornish
Following up on a lackluster 10-18 season, Dartmouth travels to Durham with the hopes of putting up a strong contest against a Duke roster that is by consensus one of the nation’s strongest.
This year’s squad will be headlined by Ryan Cornish. The Potomac, Md., native concentrates most of his volume behind the arc, with 45.1% of Cornish’s field-goal attempts coming from deep last season. He is also a threat on the other end of the floor. The 2021 DC Gatorade Player of the Year Runner-Up led Dartmouth in steals last season with 32. A projected guard-dominant lineup for the Blue Devils this year will need to be conscious of the turnover threat that Cornish poses.
The junior finished last season second in scoring for the Big Green, the highest among all returners. Cornish saw 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 40.7% from the field in the 2022-23 season. The 6-foot-4 guard put up a notable 21 points and nine rebounds against UTSA as well as a career-high 31 points against a Princeton team that made its way to the Sweet Sixteen. A similarly remarkable performance come Monday could be the point of difference in making Dartmouth into a real threat to a talented Duke team.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.