Duke coach Jon Scheyer gets emotional on Caleb Foster’s performance: ‘He had no business playing today’
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Duke coach Jon Scheyer was once in Caleb Foster’s exact shoes, as a point guard trying to help the Blue Devils win a national championship.
But the former Duke player who did win that national title in Durham in 2010 and who also was an assistant coach when the Blue Devils won it all again in 2015 couldn’t contain himself in the moment on Friday night in Washington after Foster’s heroic return from a broken right foot helped keep the 2026 championship dream alive.
Foster suffered that fractured foot only 20 short days ago, in Duke’s regular-season finale against North Carolina. He missed the ACC Tournament, then sat out Duke’s first 2 NCAA Tournament victories over Siena and TCU. But on Friday night, Scheyer had his starting point guard back in the lineup, with one slight difference.
Instead of starting, Foster would be eased back into the rotation by Scheyer, who brought Foster off the bench in Duke’s 80-75 comeback victory over St. John’s. The Blue Devils were on to the Elite 8 on Sunday, and Foster helped make a big difference in the tight Sweet 16 game against St. John’s with his 19 productive minutes off the bench.
Cayden Boozer still started at point guard for Foster on Friday night, and Boozer has done an incredible job in Foster’s absence keeping the team afloat and alive. But although Boozer still made the start against St. John’s, he only played 23 minutes, so basically the Boozer-Foster point guard combo was split down the middle for Scheyer.
Foster scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in those 19 minutes off the bench. He added 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 0 turnovers, and he earned his coach’s ultimate respect during Scheyer’s postgame interview with CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson.
When Wolfson asked Scheyer about Foster playing on Friday night, Scheyer shook his head in appreciation for about 5 seconds before even answering the question.
“He had no business playing today,” an emotional Scheyer said. “He was determined. That’s one of the most special performances I’ve ever seen. He was incredible. His will … just some big-time plays, too. That was such a leader and that’s the guy who came through for us when we needed it the most.”
With the courageous performance by Foster helping Duke advance to the Elite 8, the Blue Devils are still alive to get to the Final Four. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently seeing for those remaining teams that are still in the mix to get to Indianapolis next week:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
