Assessing Isaiah Evans, Cameron Boozer, and Dame Sarr in the Duke-Texas Game

November 6th, 2025

By Alan Lu

On November 4th, I took the time to watch Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, and Duke play against Texas in an early season college basketball game.  It was a close game in the first half, but Duke was able to run away with it the get the victory.  Here are my thoughts on how Evans, Boozer, and other various players fared in this game.

Isaiah Evans had a strong showing in his team’s win over Texas.  He had a very good all-around game, and he especially excelled as a sharpshooter and scorer when he was on the floor.

Evans did a very good job of knocking down outside shots, especially from beyond the arc.  He showed a knack for moving off the ball to get it to make threes, and he also showed an improved ability to score off of cuts and off the dribble.  He also was able to throw down an impressive slam late in the game.

He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills.  Evans showed the ability to make passes off the dribble, and he also set an off-ball screen to help a post player get open.  There was one time where he handled the ball but lost it in traffic.

He also played decent defense.  He showed a knack for poking and deflecting passes to make things difficult for his opponents, and he was an active and alert defender.  There was one play where he fouled an opponent on a mid-range jump shot that led his team to give up the basket and an extra free throw that time.

In general, Isaiah Evans played very well to help get his team the victory, and he is a very skilled, athletic guard that could end up going in the lottery of the 2026 draft, especially if he continues to play well, and he could end up being a good player in the NBA.

Cameron Boozer overcame a bad first half to have a very good second half, and he had a solid showing overall to help his team get the win over Texas.  He struggled to make shots early on, but he then managed to become a post presence as he made aggressive plays down the stretch.

Boozer showed a fairly solid ability to score in the post.  He has solid footwork, and he would make strong moves to frequently get to the free throw line.  He also showed that he can ably score off the dribble as well as on the move, although he tended to miss on a string of aggressive drives in the first half, as he would sometimes miss easy shots around the basket.  In addition, he missed all of his three-point shots, despite being open to get it off the catch.

Boozer also showcased solid playmaking skills.  He did a good job of throwing sharp interior passes to set up scores for his teammates, and he excelled at both passing off the dribble as well as finding teammates on the move.  On one play though, when doubled in the post, he threw a pass that ended up getting deflected off of his teammate that went out of bounds, which led to a turnover.

Plus, he also did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball.  Boozer comes from a terrific rebounding family, as his dad also was a very good rebounder in college, and Cameron Boozer really excelled at hauling in boards on both ends of the floor.  He also defended well.  Boozer was active in getting his hands on balls, which allowed him to get steals, and he also played solid ball denial defense.

In summary, Cameron Boozer played well, especially in the second half to help his team get a win over Texas.  He overcame a slow start to have a solid showing, and he is a skilled big man that could end up being a high first round pick in the 2026 draft.

Dame Sarr also played well in his team’s win over Texas.  He is a speedy, athletic playmaker that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor.  He showed a knack for making corner threes to showcase his shooting prowess.  He also would draw free throws on speedy drives to the hoop. 

He also excelled as a facilitator, rebounder, and defender.  He would throw a variety of accurate passes to set up scoring chances for his teammates.  He also was active in the passing lanes, and he would pressure opponents and get his hands on balls to get steals and deflections.

Overall, Sarr had a solid showing in his team’s win over Texas.  He is a talented prospect that could end up being a high first round pick, and he could end up being a good player in the NBA.

Texas’ 7-0 Lithuanian sophomore center, Matas Vokietaitis also played well in his team’s loss to Duke.  Despite the turnover troubles, he really excelled as a scorer and rebounder when he was on the floor.

Vokietaitis is a strong, mobile center that showed good footwork and scoring touch, which enabled him to score on rolls to the rim, in the post, as well as off the dribble.  He was able to use a Euro-step to score and get fouled once, and he often capitalized by getting fouled and making his free throws.  He sometimes struggled to score consistently in the post, but he generally excelled as a scorer on the floor.

He also was able to throw a nice touch pass on a high-low situation.  However, he tended to be called for clearing out and traveling, which would lead him to commit offensive fouls and turnovers. 

He also rebounded and defended well.  Vokietaitis showed a knack for rotating to block shots, and he was an active help defender.  Sometimes though, he would get outmuscled when defending opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls.

Overall, Vokietaitis played well in this game, and he is a tall, mobile center that showed off a promising set of skills on both ends of the floor.  He is a skilled big man, and he could end up being a solid role player in the NBA.

Patrick Ngongba II had a decent showing in his team’s win over Texas.  He didn’t grab as many rebounds as expected and ended up fouling out, but he did a good job of scoring within the touches he received on offense.  Ngongba showed a knack for scoring on rolls and cuts to the hoop, and he would sometimes throw down powerful dunks on offense.  He also used a pump fake to score on a crafty drive to the hoop.  On the other hand, he missed both of his threes that he took from beyond the arc.

He also passed the ball well.  He did a good job of passing the basketball and making touch passes to find open teammates.  He also defended well.  He is an active defender that would block shots and get steals, and he is a strong post defender that used his strength, positioning, and instincts to get stops.  On the other hand, sometimes he would get beat off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Ngongba played fairly well in his team’s win over Texas.  He is a strong, very athletic center that could end up being a solid role player in the NBA, and he could end up going in the late first to the to the second round range in the 2026 draft.

Dailyn Swain had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Duke.  He played well early on, as he showed off improved outside shooting skills, and he made a couple of spot-up threes early on, including where he ran off the ball to make one.  He also showed some ability to score on strong drives to the hoop.  However, he was streaky with his jump shot, and he tended to miss on aggressive drives to the basket.  He didn’t shoot well overall, but it did seem that he made a more concerted effort to work on his three-point shot, at the very least.

He also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills.  He did a good job of passing the ball to roll men to get them the basketball, and Swain made pinpoint passes in this game.  He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  However, sometimes he would play too aggressively, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Swain didn’t have his best game, but he had a good first half.  If he can continue to show a marked improvement with his jump shot, it could allow him to be a versatile role player in the NBA.

Jordan Pope excelled as a scorer, and he in particularly showed a knack for making threes, as he showed deft footwork to make stepback threes to showcase his shooting prowess.  On the other hand, he didn’t get nearly as many assists, and he struggled defensively in this game.  Overall, he is an agile, skilled sharpshooter that can knock down shots, but he’ll need to improve his playmaking and defensive skills.  Still, his jump shot and ability to run the point could enable him to make his way to the NBA someday.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Evans, Boozer, and others fared in this game. Thanks for reading.