Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
INDIANAPOLIS — Duke star freshman Cameron Boozer, a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA draft, said he suffered multiple fractures around one of his eyes after during his team’s loss to UConn in the Elite Eight.
Boozer did not offer specifics about the injury but said he decided against surgery only two months before the NBA draft.
“I have a couple of fractures, but I’m all good,” Boozer said as he accepted The Associated Press and United States Basketball Writers Association player of the year awards. “I’m just going through the healing process. It hurt in the game, but I wish the outcome would have been better, but that’s not really what I’m here to focus on. We had a great year. Like I said, it’s an individual award, but I wouldn’t be here without my teammates and my coaches.”
During the loss to UConn in the Elite Eight — decided on Braylon Mullins’ 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play — Boozer took an elbow to the face as he drove to the rim on 7-foot-1 center Eric Reibe. Soon after the play, Boozer’s eye began to swell and a Duke trainer applied a cold soda can to his face while he sat on the bench.
Depending on its severity, the eye injury could impact Boozer’s standing in the NBA draft. He’s one of the most decorated players in college basketball history but he’s faced scrutiny about his next-level physical tools and if he has enough of them to compete against bigger, stronger and bouncier players in the NBA. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward, however, said he’s ready to “win” in the NBA, no matter where he’s picked.
“I think I’m just a winning player, all-around player. I think I impact the game in so many different ways,” Boozer said. “And I think my competitiveness translates to any level. I think any team who takes a chance on me is going to be very happy with the results they get from it.”
Boozer admitted that he had a lot of emotions accepting awards in Indianapolis, site of this year’s Final Four, a week after his team had been eliminated by a UConn squad that will face Michigan in the national title game on Monday night. But those emotions were secondary to the feelings he experienced when his twin Cayden Boozer faced backlash on social media following his turnover that preceded Mullins’ game-winning shot in the Elite Eight.
“First of all, I’d like to say it’s definitely nasty, but that’s not the reason, that one play is not the reason we lost,” Boozer said. “But just being there for him, obviously it’s tough. It’s going to be hard for anyone to go through that. There is not really that much I can say to make him feel better. We’re all hurting as a team, but we’re going to get through it together. We’re a super-connected group. It’s definitely a hard moment, but he’s a tough guy. We’re all tough. It’s going to make us so much better going forward. So it’s something you’ve got to take on a chin and learn and grow from.”
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