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Jeff Borzello, ESPN Staff Writer
ATLANTA — After another one of his star freshmen dealt with cramping issues, Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer said the recurring issue was “concerning.”
Blue Devils freshman center Khaman Maluach was limited to 10 second-half minutes in Tuesday’s 77-72 loss to Kentucky, subbing in and out of the game on multiple occasions due to cramping.
Reserve guard Sion James also left the game in the second half after taking a hard hit on a screen with about 13 minutes remaining. James went down holding his shoulder and headed straight to the locker room. Shortly after returning to the bench, he was ruled out for the game.
Scheyer didn’t have an update on James’ status after the game, saying the senior would be evaluated when the team returned to Durham, North Carolina.
“Those two guys are really important to us,” Scheyer said.
Maluach got his leg caught under Kentucky’s Andrew Carr chasing a loose ball on the first possession of the second half. Afterward, Maluach stood up very slowly. He remained in the game but had to go to the bench with a cramping issue a few minutes later. Two minutes after returning to the court, he was forced to exit again, this time going to the locker room after being worked on next to the bench for several minutes.
“It’s concerning,” Scheyer said. “Part of it is we have young bodies. I think that’s part of it. We got to help these guys. We’re not just trying to dip our toes in the water … We got to take a hard look at it.”
Maluach, a 7-foot-2 projected NBA lottery pick, finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
His issues weren’t the first time Duke has dealt with cramping problems this season. In Duke’s home win over Army on Friday, star freshman Cooper Flagg missed much of the second half with cramping. As Scheyer said after that contest, “We can’t have that happen.”
“We’ve got to help him,” Scheyer said of Flagg. “We’ve got to help him. I’m not happy about it, for him. We’ve got to help him. And we will. Right after [Friday’s game], I can promise you I’m going to be meeting [with the team’s training staff]. I don’t care if it’s all night. We can’t have that happen. Bottom line.”
Flagg didn’t show any ill effects of the cramping on Tuesday, playing 32 minutes against the Wildcats and finishing with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.