Duke Roster Numbers Revealed

Duke updated its roster over the weekend and the freshmen and Patrick Tapé all have their new numbers and there’s an interesting note: like two years ago, the freshmen are mostly sequential.

Then it was Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, Tre Jones and RJ Barrett wearing, respectively, #1, #2, #3 and #5.

This year? Jalen Johnson is #1, DJ Steward #2, Jeremy Roach #3 and Jaemyn Brakefield #5. Perhaps Henry Coleman or Mark Williams might have taken #4 if JJ Redick hadn’t retired it.

Thing is it’s getting harder to find a lot of choices. You can’t wear #4, #10, #11, #22, #23, #24, #25, #31, #32, #33, #35, #43 and #44 because they’re all in the rafters for JJ Redick, Dick Groat, Bobby Hurley, Jay Williams, Shelden Williams, Johnny Dawkins, Art Heyman, Shane Battier, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Danny Ferry, Mike Gminski and Jeff Mullins. If our math is correct, and fat chance of that, you only have 37 possible numbers to choose from and 12 are off the board. So that leaves limited options.

Coleman took #34 while Williams settled into the next sequential tier where Tapé is #12, Joey Baker #13, Jordan Goldwire #14 and Williams #15.

Wendell Moore slots into the first tier at #0.

Pictures are posted for everyone except for Roach, Williams and Coleman. Williams incidentally appears to have put on some meaningful weight: he’s now listed at 230.

Still unclear of course is whether or not we’ll actually have games with fans in the stands. It’s odd to contemplate not having a whole season.