Duke’s Boozer Twins Dominate March Madness On And Off The Court
Duke freshman basketball stars Cameron and Cayden Boozer are known to be able to shoot, pass, and score from almost anywhere on the floor, and under coach Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils have taken NCAA men’s basketball by storm. Yet fellow Duke freshman Nik Khamenia thinks that much the current Blue Devils’ success comes not from pedigree, Duke’s past history and the strength of its basketball program, or even Duke’s elite name, but from hard work.
“Honestly, our practices are way harder than games,” said the 19-year-old, 6-foot-8 small forward and guard, from Los Angeles, California. He added,” Every little detail is emphasized, and on every possession, you want to be perfect. There are more chances to mess up, but practices are way harder.”
His fellow freshman star teammates Cameron and Cayden Boozer agree. I spoke with all three via Zoom on March 9 as head coach Jon Scheyer was preparing his boys for the upcoming ACC Tournament.
“At Duke’s practices, you are bound to have some bad days,” said Caden Boozer, the team’s star point guard. The 6-foot-4 freshman added that, “Those days when it’s tougher, you know you learn and are getting better at it, and you think, ‘I gotta get better.’ And that makes practices more fulfilling.
Cayden’s twin brother, Cameron, a versatile 6-foot-9 power forward, concurred on a lot of his teammates’ points, but added perspective.
“It’s not just about abut attention to detail and the lengths of the practices. We all come from good high schools and great coaching,” Cameron Boozer said.
But there’s something else. And it’s not some “special sauce” or magic potion in the water at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“Everyone here is hungry, and they all want to reach goals that they have. All around, every guy here at Duke was probably the best or second-best player on his high school team,” Cameron Boozer explained. “I think it’s more about the talent and competitiveness of each practice and every day coming with big energy. Because if you don’t, someone else is.”
After going 29-2 in the regular season, No. 1 Duke won the ACC Tournament on Saturday, March 14, over longtime rivals, the No. 15 Virginia Cavaliers, winners of the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Duke advanced to the Sweet Sixteen Saturday after beating TCU 81-58.
Looking at all their success, Khamenia thinks that, with all the hard work and talent on board at Duke this season, especially among the freshman class, which also consists of starting small forward Dame Sarr, there is a chemistry at work that helps the entire team on the court, especially during games.
The 18-year-old twins from Miami, Florida, are also known not just for their individual talents but also for their ability to hoop with anyone and their sense of humor.
“I definitely don’t keep them in check,” Khamenia joked about Cayden and Cam. “I think their best traits are their personalities.”
Between the three of them, at least, there is an ever-present sense of levity. Apparently, the members of the Duke Blue Devils really like each other.
Khamenia also touted the Boozer brothers’ game awareness and ability to snap back into action whenever a play doesn’t go exactly as planned.
“For Cam, I say something funny if he messes up even just one possession, and he’ll look at me and just sigh, like ‘Alright, bro,’” said Khamenia. “And for Cayden, he’s locked down the point guard (position) so he knows what to do. They both know what to do. I think the best thing probably is always to let them be.”
High caliber, high demand
Duke’s Boozer twins are not only a recognized force on the floor, but are beginning to be almost ubiquitous now that March Madness is in full swing. And they are in high demand by many of the sponsors behind March Madness.
One sponsor putting Cam and Cayden Boozer to work as pitchmen is Samsung. The megabrand electronics company known for producing everything from kitchen appliances to millions of televisions upon which America is watching March Madness has been running a TV commercial during basketball prime time featuring both Boozers and their dad, ex-NBA and Duke star Carlos Boozer, to pitch the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra mobile phone and its new AI and privacy features.
Together, the Boozer brothers have secured other lucrative partnerships with Jordan Brand, Samsung, Leaf Trading Cards, and Crocs. Both made their first national TV commercial appearance earlier this month on behalf of State Farm.
Most recently, today, Cam and Cayden Boozer announced their newest partnership with Zaxbys, the Atlanta-based fast casual restaurant chain, known for sandwiches, wings, and its signature hand-breaded “Chicken Fingerz,” its “Zalads,” and its “Zax Rewardz” loyalty program.
In partnering with Zaxbys, the Boozer brothers encourage “flavor-obsessed fans” who love chicken to “transfer their loyalty” from their old chicken joint to Zaxbys.
The campaign is meant to poke fun at the constant buzz around the NCAA’s transfer portal, as well as the controversy that has sometimes arisen from athletes switching schools, ever since the portal’s creation by the NCAA in October 2018.
“We’re telling all our friends and fans that we’re transferring,” Cam Boozer said, “transferring to Zaxbys.”
Cameron and Cayden also teamed up with the brand to create the Zaxbys Boozer Brothers digital-exclusive meal that showcases their favorite menu items and the brand’s new dry rubs lineup, with help from teammate Khamenia, who is also the brothers’ closest friend.
“We’re super excited, because they have some elite food,” Cameron added, “and we’re also encouraging everyone to get on the Zaxbys app to get their ‘Sign-On Bonus.’”
The Boozer Brothers Meal and Zaxbys limited-time “Sign-On Bonus” are available through a unique portal feature in the Zaxbys app, which anyone can download for free. Zaxbys operates 1000 locations across 22 states, primarily in the southern United States.
When asked about shooting the commercials prior to the postseason, Cam added that he thinks the reason Zaxbys tapped him, his brother, and teammate to “join their team, is because of our personalities.
Khamenia remarked that both brothers are inclined to joke around, both on and off the court. But while all three give each other stick in practice, while focusing their intensity on play, outside Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, Cayden is often the one instigating with the other two.
“For me, sometimes, I’m in a more silly, goofy mood.” Cayden Boozer said. “So, I guess I might troll them more.
Cam stated that he thinks the reason Zaxbys tapped him, his brother, and teammate to “join their team ” was because of their personalities.
“Overall, I think we got a good thing going, good vibes, and yes, there’s a lot of trolling going on. But our whole team is full of personalities, and a bunch of good dudes,” Cam said.
Cayden weighed in on the Duke Blue Devils’ “vibe.”
“I think when you’re around each other so much, you have a synergy,” Cayden said. “We have such a great relationship off the court, it’s easy when we’re on the court to keep each other accountable—and understand that we all want the best for each other. And to make sure we’re getting the best out of everyone.”
Competitive but classy
When I asked Khamenia and the Boozer brothers what it was like to end their regular season with a March 7, 76-61 home win over the North Carolina Tarheels, none of the three players gloated over handily beating their arch rivals. Nor did they frame the big win as avenging their only ACC conference loss this season.
“It was just great to win our last home game,” Cayden said, regarding their win over the Tar Heels. “They beat us earlier in the season, and it was a tough loss for us. But every loss we had this season, we learned something, and learned to bounce back.”
Duke only lost two games this season. The first was an 82-81 home loss to Texas Tech on December 20, and the second was a 71-68 loss to North Carolina on February 7 in Chapel Hill at the Dean E. Smith Center.
“In basketball, there’s no do-overs, and that’s one that I wish we could have gotten back,” Cameron said. “To be able to play them again and get the win at home was great. But we’re playing for something bigger, more than just one win.”
Throughout the season, there has been a lot of talk about the stars of the freshman class across NCAA basketball. Star players at other schools, such as Darryn Peterson at Kansas and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, are talked about almost solely as targets for the first round of the next NBA Draft. But the freshmen players at Duke seem to have tuned it all out.
“We’re very focused on the everyday. The main thing we’re focusing on is finishing the year out strong,” Cameron said. “We’re locked on March, and we’re not thinking about anything after the season.
“Obviously, you hear a bunch of noise about how everyone’s playing in the freshman class,” Cayden said. “But when you are focused on every day and how you can get better to reach your goals, then you know you will be in a better place to make any new decisions when they come up down the road.”
Right now, Cayden said, he, his brother, and teammate Khamenia are focused on “everyday work and what you can control.”
Khamenia concurred with his fellow freshman teammates. “We focus on winning one game at a time and winning a national championship.”
The Duke Blue Devils, who went 29-2 in the regular season before winning the ACC Tournament, next face St. John’s in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday.
