If you listen to sports media, you’ll hear there are no Cinderellas to talk about during this NCAA Tournament cycle. I would counter that maybe they just aren’t paying attention. There was no national champion crowned last night; there aren’t banners to be hung for winning a Sweet 16 game. But the weight of the moment was written all over Jon Scheyer’s face when he spoke about Caleb Foster. Duke’s 80-75 victory over a gritty St. John’s team was merely the subplot to a true Cinderella story. Foster, the 6’5 leader of this Blue Devils squad, broke his foot on March 7th. It was a freak accident—no violent collision—yet the diagnosis was grim. Just 20 days later, the junior point guard was back on the floor. It was an inconceivable result.
Foster, Scheyer’s first Duke commit after becoming a head coach and the only one from the 4-man class to remain in Durham past his sophomore year, suffered a broken foot during Duke’s 76-61 victory over North Carolina on March 7th. The emotion pouring from his coach seems to stem from both a loyalty that Foster has shown to the school and coach and also the miraculous feat of not just playing but thriving against one of the tournament’s toughest defenses. Scheyer later marveled at the comeback, exclaiming that Foster “had no business playing” given the severity of the injury. It was a testament to a player who refused to resign himself to being a glorified cheerleader.
Foster has been a much-maligned player in certain sects of the Duke fanbase, but through all of that, through multiple injuries, he remained the player that stuck with Scheyer, stuck with Duke with no promises and with maybe bigger paydays and opportunities elsewhere. This season marked a different Caleb Foster. His skillset became the engine Duke relied upon as the calendar turned to February. Starting at the beginning of February up until the North Carolina game, where he was injured, Caleb had amassed 34 assists to just 8 turnovers. That’s better than a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. In a word: Elite. Obviously the Blue Devils missed his playmaking abilities and his ability to get downhill, but moreover, what was missed was his voice. His leadership on the court. That returned Friday night and not a moment too soon.
Whether you’re a beat reporter or a lifelong observer, you end up privy to information that shapes your expectations. The night that Foster broke his foot, I got word that he was having surgery that next morning; that got my wheels turning. The immediate surgery wasn’t just about a head start on next year; it was the first step in a desperate race against the tournament clock. Foster attacked his rehab with a fervor. It can’t be overstated how Foster not only stepped onto the court but also played 19 minutes, scored in double figures (11), dished 2 assists, and committed zero turnovers. The stuff of legend. Sophomore star Isaiah Evans, who dropped 25 points in the win, credited much of the team’s energy to the point guard’s return. “Caleb has been a leader for us since day one,” Evans noted. “Just him coming back gave us a tremendous boost—insurmountable confidence.”
While critics ramble about NIL and “the best roster money can buy,” they can’t put a price on the bond between this coach and his player. Scheyer put it best after the final buzzer: “There’s no analytics, there’s no stats that can measure how big this dude’s heart is for what he did.”
That will be the story of Caleb Foster regardless of what happens from here on out.