Jeremy Roach was supposed to be limited in his return. Why Duke coach Jon Scheyer changed his plans
DURHAM – Jeremy Roach waited on the bench during the opening minutes of Saturday’s game, wearing an anxious expression while shaking his knees in anticipation.
The Duke junior guard had missed the last three games with a nagging big toe injury he suffered in late November, but hours before the noon tip against Miami, he had been cleared to return for the first time since a Jan. 4 loss against NC State.
Roach didn’t put his pullover back on after warmups. He wanted to be ready the moment his number was called.
“I was just trying to get in,” Roach said, laughing. “I missed playing with my guys. I was just happy to be out there.”
He entered the game with 16 minutes left in the first half and continued where he left off as the unquestioned leader for a youthful Duke team. He hit his first five shots and finished with 14 points, four assists and a key steal in the final moments that preserved a 68-66 win over No. 17 Miami.
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In the first half, his mid-range jumper with 3:30 left stopped a streak of seven missed shots for Duke. He did it again in the second half, hitting a stabilizing layup with under seven minutes left that halted a streak of 10 missed shots.
“He brought a calming energy to us today,” Jacob Grandison said after the win. “He took the pressure off us when it came to scoring and ball handling. I thought it was a little bit good for us to let him heal his foot and let us figure out our team without him; challenge ourselves, and now we’ve got him back and, hopefully, he stays healthy.”
The Blue Devils were 2-1 without Roach but missed him dearly during a 73-64 road loss to Clemson on Jan. 14. Duke (14-5, 5-3) moved to 10-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season before two straight road games, including Monday’s quick turnaround against Virginia Tech.
After Saturday’s win, Duke coach Jon Scheyer admitted that his initial plan was for Roach to play a smaller role, and fewer minutes – he played the third most (27:24) against Miami. Roach’s play and the Hurricanes’ late second-half comeback gave him no choice.
“We played him more than we thought we would,” Scheyer said. “But he felt fine, and his game shape has never really been a thing for him. He was making some big plays, and we felt down the stretch we needed him in there.”
Roach’s experience, particularly against Miami, came into play with 11 seconds remaining and the Blue Devils up 68-64. Last year, the Hurricanes ran a successful play to set up a Kameron McGusty layup with 22.8 seconds left to stun No. 2 Duke 76-74 in Cameron. Miami coach Jim Larranaga called up the same play a year later. Roach saw it right away.
“Jeremy was in that moment, so he knew,” Scheyer said. “That’s a heads-up play.”
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: How Jeremy Roach sparked Duke basketball in his return from injury
