{"id":191278,"date":"2026-04-20T21:11:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T01:11:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=191278"},"modified":"2026-04-20T21:11:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T01:11:51","slug":"drew-scharnowski-strengthens-dukes-interior-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/20\/drew-scharnowski-strengthens-dukes-interior-depth\/","title":{"rendered":"Drew Scharnowski Strengthens Duke\u2019s Interior Depth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unlike many other programs, Duke finds itself in a fortunate situation, with key players returning for the 2026-27 campaign. Combine that with its highly touted freshman class, anchored by Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey Jr., and head coach Jon Scheyer can search the transfer portal for the “right fits” that can plug holes and potentially become starting-caliber assets. On Sunday, the Blue Devils did just that<\/a>, landing Belmont’s Drew Scharnowski<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drew Scharnowski Strengthens Duke’s Interior Depth<\/h2>\n

The 6’9″, 230-pound big man helps Duke as it looks to re-establish its dominance inside next season. Adding to the program’s depth in the paint, Scharnowski is an efficient and versatile player whose strengths can make fans and analysts feel optimistic about his potential impact. He’ll aim to prove that the skill set that made him successful in the Missouri Valley Conference<\/a> will translate to the more competitive and skilled ACC.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Growth and Efficiency at Belmont<\/h3>\n

Scharnowski caught Duke’s attention after his sophomore season at Belmont, where he showed substantial progress. After playing a more complementary role in 2024-25, he became an integral part of the Bruins’ game plan this past year, averaging 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Executing from where he is most effective, Scharnowski converted 69.4% of his two-pointers. His efforts on both ends of the court earned him All-MVC First Team and MVC All-Defensive Team honors, while Belmont won the conference’s regular-season title<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scharnowski’s Strengths<\/h3>\n

A few aspects of Scharnowski’s game made him a standout among big men in the portal. First, he uses his vision to create offense for his teammates. Posting a 22% assist rate last season, his passing prowess shone most against Murray State in January, where he added nine assists to his 19 points and 11 rebounds. Considering the skill level of his future teammates in Durham, one can expect this asset to become even more valuable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As previously mentioned, Scharnowski’s most valuable offensive asset is his reputation as a true lob threat and an efficient dunker. Unlikely to be one of Duke’s primary contributors, he will still benefit from the team’s elite playmakers and be an interior threat when he is on the court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the defensive end, Scharnowski is a true rim protector. He uses his long wingspan to disrupt the opposition’s shot quality and registers a solid amount of blocks (1.3 per game last season). To Scheyer’s delight, Scharnowski provides Duke with more than just an effective paint presence. His mobility and athleticism allow him to switch and cover guards as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Areas of Improvement<\/h3>\n

Though Scharnowski brings real value to the Blue Devils off the bench, he does come with his own limitations. For one, he struggles mightily from the foul line. Making just 43.6% of his free throws last season, Scharnowski will have to put in some serious work from the charity stripe this summer if Duke wants to maximize his capabilities. If he cannot improve, Scharnowski limits himself and becomes an unreliable player to put in end-of-game situations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of the foul shooting troubles, Scharnowski is not a threat from beyond the arc. Preferring to attack from the paint, he’s gone 1-of-7 from three in his career, offering little value in floor spacing. Scheyer needs to pair him with shooters to keep the lane open.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Team Fit<\/h3>\n

Expected to be a key bench piece, Scharnowski should serve nicely as Patrick Ngongba II<\/a>‘s understudy. Though his impact will not compare to Ngongba’s<\/a>, Scharnowski can keep the ball moving on offense while limiting the damage on defense. The newest Blue Devil comes in understanding his role, allowing the team’s stars to control the pace while providing the intangibles and occasional scoring necessary to win at a high level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The transition from the MVC to the ACC will likely come with a learning curve. Even the worst teams of Scharnowski’s new conference are an upgrade in competition. Still, he brings skills that should translate well to his new environment and help Duke as they strive for a national title.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 MATT DAYHOFF\/JOURNAL STAR \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unlike many other programs, Duke finds itself in a fortunate situation, with key players returning for the 2026-27 campaign. Combine that with its highly touted freshman class, anchored by Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey Jr., and head coach Jon Scheyer can search the transfer portal for the “right fits” that can plug holes and potentially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5823,"featured_media":191300,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,773,3],"tags":[3120,2582,861,48981,3935],"class_list":["post-191278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-college-basketball","category-news","tag-acc-basketball","tag-belmont-bruins","tag-duke-blue-devils","tag-jon-scheyer","tag-missouri-valley-conference"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5823"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191278"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":191312,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191278\/revisions\/191312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}