Is Duke’s Dame Sarr returning to school or going to the NBA draft? What he decided
Duke’s Dame Sarr has decided to return for a second season with the Blue Devils and not declare for the NBA Draft.
Sarr had been mulling over his options since the end of Duke’s 35-3 season. Cameron Boozer, the national player of the year as a freshman, is expected to enter the draft and sophomore Isaiah Evans has declared for the draft. But Sarr will stay, the program announced Friday through its social media platforms.
The 6-8 wing came to the Blue Devils from the Spanish pro leagues and took on an important role as a college freshman as a defensive stopper.
“Dame, for us, is a great defender. A great defender,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said during the season. “But there’s just such a great adjustment going from Europe and playing at the highest level and going to college. He just had to really throw himself into working every day and focusing on what he’s really good at, which is his defense and activity.
“He gave us a different dimension that we probably don’t have with his athleticism and his ability to guard.”
Dame Sarr’s basketball career at Duke
A native of Ozerno, Italy, Sarr averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds. He was a 32.3% shooter on 3-pointers, although with a higher percentage on his 3-point shots from the corners.
Sarr had a season-high 19 points in a win against Army at West Point, and 16 points and 9 rebounds in Duke’s road win at N.C. State. During the NCAA Tournament, he finished with 14 points and 8 boards in Duke’s second-round victory over TCU.
“When he’s hitting shots, it’s great, but I think when Dame really impacts the game on the defensive side,” Evans said this season. “And then when he’s knocking down shots, it’s just a plus.”
Sarr shot 43% of his 3s playing in the Liga ACB in the top division of the Spanish basketball league before coming to Duke.
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Is Duke’s Dame Sarr returning to school or going to the NBA draft? What he decided."
