​Mar 12, 2006; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils (23) Shelden Williams and Boston College Eagles (51) Sean Williams fight for a rebound in the Devils 78-76 victory against the Eagles in the ACC Tournament Championship at the Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Copyright © 2006 Bob Donnan | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Duke has never been a prolific producer of ACC rebounding leaders, managing just eight in the league’s nearly 75-year existence. That made Cameron Boozer’s performance last season even more remarkable. Combining polish, patience, power, and positioning, the 6-9, 250-pound freshman gathered 10.24 rebounds per outing, tops in the ACC in 2026.The last Blue Devil to pace the conference in per-game rebounds was Marvin Bagley III, with 11.1 in 2018. Bagley also led the ACC in scoring in ‘18 with a 21.0-point average, earning him consensus All-American honors and recognition as both the ACC rookie and player of the year. He left college after one season.Boozer, who finished second in the league with a 22.5 scoring average, similarly swept ACC rookie and player honors, a double feat contemporary Blue Devils have made nearly routine. Boozer also won national All-American recognition. Also like Bagley, Boozer won’t be around to join the five Blue Devils who rank among the ACC top 40 in career rebounds — Shelden Williams, Mike Gminski, Christian Laettner, Mason Plumlee, and Randy Denton, in descending order of rebounds gained. Denton, a bit of a bully off the court, and Gminski played in Duke’s pre-K era. The G-Man, now known as a basketball commentator, averaged the same 10.2 boards from 1976-80 that Boozer achieved in 2026.It’s an unfortunate fact of modern basketball life that the enduring excellence of Duke players is increasingly measured by their NBA draft posture rather than their standing among ACC all-time statistical leaders. We can only imagine what recent talents like Boozer, Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and others might have achieved over four years.Duke’s best bet on the boards this season is apt to be Patrick Ngongba II, the team’s top returning scorer (10.1). Given more experience and training, he can be a force. The 6-11 sophomore proved adept inside in ’26, his playing time and on-court effectiveness often limited by his propensity to foul. Ngongba averaged a personal every 7.7 minutes on the floor.  (For purposes of comparison, classmate Boozer averaged a foul every 19.6 minutes.)Ngongba’s .606 field goal accuracy would have ranked third in the ACC had he played sufficient minutes. Even playing 21.9 minutes per game, Ngongba finished third on the team in scoring behind Boozer and Isaiah Evans at 10.1 points an outing. While there’s apt to be more internal competition for frontcourt playing time at Duke this season, Ngongba figures to emerge as a major presence.UNCOMMON VIRTUE Top Single-Season Rebounds By Duke Player Since Coach K Arrival For 1980-81 SeasonAv