Headed into its season opener against Texas on Tuesday night (8:45 ET, ESPN), No. 6 Duke boasts a 2-0 exhibition record, with its last win coming against No. 18 Tennessee.

That’s due in large part to freshman star forward Cameron Boozer‘s video game-like numbers in those wins: The former five star prospect averaged 28.5 points, 17.5 rebounds and five assists in Duke’s wins over the Vols and Central Florida.

Still, as mind-boggling as that production is, Andrew Moran — Boozer’s former coach at Columbus High School in Miami — said he expects Boozer to produce at that level consistently all season. Boozer was picked by three ESPN experts as a preseason first-team All-American.

“He’s that good,” said Moran, now an assistant coach at the University of Miami. “He just understands the game at a high level, he’s a machine on the glass and he scores so easy. That’s not to say he won’t have adjustments and times when he’ll have to regroup and figure it out, but he’ll always respond. He’s just a winner, bottom line.”

We had Moran dish on his top five Boozer moments during his reign at Columbus.

First state title (2022)

Boozer anchored a talented but young roster against an experienced Dr. Phillips squad. Against all odds, Boozer showed the full array of his skill set, pumping in 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 45-44 championship game win.

In Moran’s words: “We were not supposed to win that game. They had three Power 4 kids and one All-American, but we found a way to get it done. He was killing in that game, and it was just a big moment because we’d never won a title before.”

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The Georgia takeover (2023)

Boozer led his team into a hostile environment at national hoops powerhouse Wheeler High School (Marietta, Georgia) against its duo of top-ranked point guard Isaiah Collier and four-star big man Arrinten Page. After falling behind in the first half, Boozer shot 100 percent from the field in the second to lead his team to the win.

In Moran’s words: “That was one of those games where I was really like, ‘Wow, this is really impressive.’ He was just so skilled and strong and always made the right plays. He just had it.”

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Winning a second Gatorade National Player of the Year award (2025)

Boozer is on a short list of players to win the prestigious award twice, first taking home the hardware as a sophomore, when he averaged 21.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2 blocks and won a state title. He was even more impressive as a senior, when he averaged 22.6 points, 12 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2 steals to win his fourth state title and first Chipotle Nationals title.

In Moran’s words: “It’s a big deal to win that award once, but to win it twice was just surreal. It just speaks to how dominant a player that he is.”

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Triple-OT win over Gonzaga College High School (2024)

Boozer pulled out his clutch gene for a big win in a top-five matchup vs. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) in his senior year. He drained a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime and then another one at the end of the second overtime. Boozer finished with 31 points in an 85-79 win.

In Moran’s words: “He just wasn’t going to lose that game; he just wasn’t. He’s got that gene that kicks him into another gear. He steps up to the challenge every time.”

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Bringing home the Chipotle Nationals title (2025)

After getting rolled by Montverde Academy (Florida) in the Chipotle semifinals the previous year, Boozer came into the 2025 Chipotle Nationals on a mission, leading Columbus to the title after posting 11 points and eight rebounds in a 67-49 romp over Dynamic Prep (Irving, Texas).

In Moran’s words: “It wasn’t one of his big-time statistical games, but once again, he was never going to let us lose. He was just focused on winning; didn’t care about the stats. It was a surreal moment that we’ll never forget. He’s just one of those special players that are rare.”

North Carolina FC announced on Tuesday that it will not compete in the men’s USL Championship next season, and will instead file an application to join the USL’s proposed Division One league that will likely not begin play until 2028.

In a statement, NCFC said that “the application begins a formal process that could bring top-level professional soccer to Raleigh, supported by a long-term stadium plan and strong market infrastructure.”

The USL said in a statement that North Carolina’s franchise agreement ended after 2025, and that “The USL believes Raleigh has strong potential as a future Division One market if it meets the league’s professional standards, including a minimum 15,000-seat, purpose-built soccer stadium that will serve as an anchor for real estate development.”

The decision by NCFC to essentially go dormant for two seasons comes at an awkward time for the USL, which in addition to starting the Division One league that will sit atop the USL Championship, League One and League Two, is also attempting to implement a system of promotion/relegation.

The USL is also in the middle of negotiations with the USL Players Association on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for players in the USL Championship. The current CBA expires at the end of this year.

A source with knowledge of the situation said that all player contracts will be voided following the end of the season, allowing them to become free agents.

This creates a fraught situation for players who had multi-year contracts with North Carolina, as well as injured players who will no longer be covered by health insurance once the contracts are terminated, and will likely have to file workman’s compensation claims. The source estimated that there are around 10 players who will have the contracts terminated prematurely.

The source added that per the current CBA, NCFC players with multi-year contracts will get two months severance.

A club spokesperson told ESPN that NCFC “will follow the CBA and we’ll do everything we can to go above and beyond” in terms of aiding players.

NCFC’s chairman, Steve Malik, who has owned the club since 2015, also owns the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage, and has been attempting to build a soccer-specific stadium in the Raleigh area that should be shared by both teams since 2019. But despite some getting regulatory approvals, as well as acquiring the needed land, so far Malik hasn’t been able to secure the needed public financing for the stadium project to move forward.

The men’s team has also been plagued by poor attendance, averaging just 2,550 fans per game during the regular season. This ranked 21st out of 24 teams in the USL Championship. NCFC drew just 2,005 fans to last weekend’s playoff game against Loudon United.

NCFC has been in existence since 2006, having started life in the USL as the Carolina RailHawks, then moving to the North American Soccer League in 2009, and then returning to the USL in 2017. Malik moved the club down to USL League One in 2021, but then returned to the USL Championship in 2023.

NCFC is scheduled to play Rhode Island FC in the conference semifinals this Saturday.