RALEIGH, N.C. — What’s going to happen here Sunday isn’t primarily about Jeremy Roach.
It’s about Duke vs. Baylor, Sweet 16 on the line, at least two future lottery picks on the floor and a coach in Jon Scheyer who’s trying to do this year what Baylor’s Scott Drew accomplished four years ago when he won the national championship.
But it’s also about how modern college basketball works.
After four years playing point guard at Duke, encompassing 108 starts and 11 NCAA Tournament games and a Final Four, Roach’s career ran out of real estate. Despite having one more year of eligibility due to the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season, it was made clear to him that it was time to move on.
“It was handled with love, honesty and we felt mutually both ways that it would be the best thing for him in his career and where we had to go because of that,” Scheyer said.
Sitting 1,000 miles away in Waco, Texas, Drew saw opportunity. Though he had a highly-rated point guard coming into the program in Rob Wright and another star freshman in V.J. Edgecombe, Baylor combed through the transfer portal looking for experience – and particularly postseason experience. It didn’t hurt that when Baylor lost to Duke last season in Madison Square Garden, Roach played all 40 minutes and had 18 points.
“You try to get some balance,” Drew said. “You don’t want all freshmen; you don’t necessarily want all upper classmen. At the same time, when we won a national championship (in 2021) we had two point guards in Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler. If you can have four point guards out there, I think everybody would like that if you could get them to buy in. You have to play with the ball, without the ball. We thought Jeremy would be great compliment with Rob and vice-versa and could really help teach some of our younger players some things he’s learned.”
But the transfer portal isn’t a fairy tale for everyone. While Roach may have seen himself parlaying his Duke experience into taking the reins at another program, he has found himself as more of a role player with his college career winding down.
That’s how the business works. Baylor’s team functioned better with Wright as the primary point guard. Drew officially made the switch in February. And now here they are, hoping that Roach can be some kind of X-factor against his former team.
“He’s kept a great attitude, and when we made the decision to bring him off the bench, we talked to him and he said, ‘Whatever is best to help the team,’ ” Drew said. “He said it might help the team. He’s really helped Rob, and those two can play together. You can always have two point guards on the court. What you can’t have is none so he’ll do a good job making sure everyone is ready to go tomorrow like he’s done every game. I know it means a little more to him, obviously, but Jeremy is somebody that is capable of having big games and hopefully he has one (Sunday).”
Roach, of course, has been following Duke all season from afar. He joked Saturday that it would be hard not to, given how often the Blue Devils play on national television. And when he saw Baylor get paired with Duke in the same part of the tournament bracket, he realized he should have seen it coming.
“Knowing the committee, they like a story and stuff like that,” Roach said. “Not trying to put too much into it, not trying to get too emotional about it. I’m with Baylor, so I’m just focusing on what we’ve got to do to win this game and how hard we have to play for 40 minutes.
“I’m definitely excited for the matchup. Not trying to make anything bigger than what it is, it’s just another basketball game. I just want to focus on what Baylor has to do, personnel, scout, stuff like that, getting ready mentally and physically.”
Of course, there’s probably more to that than Roach wants to engage in 24 hours before the potential final game of his college career.
In September, during an interview with Field of 68, the former McDonald’s All-American admitted that he wanted to stay at Duke but “stuff didn’t meet up, and it was just my time to go.” Maybe there are no hard feelings, but it wouldn’t be human if he didn’t take this personally.
Maybe that will work in Baylor’s favor, and Roach gives the Bears a true March moment tinged with redemption. Or perhaps Roach will press too hard to make an impact, which has been kind of a theme of his season at Baylor and one of the reasons they’re now bringing him off the bench.
If he considers this season a disappointment, Roach isn’t showing it. And Sunday, he’ll have an opportunity to get the last laugh.
“I think this year has been a lot of good benefits for sure, a learning experience for sure but I have enjoyed every moment,” he said. “It’s my last year and wanted to make the most of it so that’s really it right there.”
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.