Boozer twins carry Juneau legacy into Duke’s tourney run

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – When Duke University tips off Thursday morning against Siena in the NCAA Division I tournament, Carlos and Renee Boozer plan to be watching — and they won’t be alone.

Back in Juneau, where their son Carlos Boozer Jr. once honed the skills that carried him to a national college championship, a Hall of Fame career, and an Olympic gold medal, the Boozers say the entire community has rallied around the next generation: twin brothers Cayden and Cameron Boozer, both freshmen playing for the Blue Devils.

“Everywhere we go, we hear somebody,” Renee said in an interview with Alaska’s News Source from Juneau. “People come up to us and say, ‘Hey … we watched them play.’”

“Our next-door neighbor says, ‘I saw your grandkids playing last night,’” Carlos Sr. added. “It’s a small community so everybody knows everybody.

“The community is involved.”

Continuing the Blue Devils legacy

The Boozer family’s connection to Duke runs deep — and it starts in Alaska.

Carlos Sr. and Renee’s son Carlos Boozer Jr. became one of the most decorated prep players in Alaska history. A four-year varsity player at Juneau-Douglas High School, he led his teams to a 95-12 record and back-to-back state championships in 1997 and 1998.

After signing with Duke, Boozer played for the Blue Devils from 1999 to 2002, earning first-team All-ACC and third-team All-American honors.

He was part of the 2001 national championship team before being selected in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he went on to earn two All-Star selections across a 13-year professional career.

In September 2025, Boozer was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — the first Alaskan basketball player ever to receive that honor — as part of the 2008 U.S. Olympic “Redeem Team” that won gold at the Beijing Olympics.

“It’s everything to me,” Boozer said at the ceremony. “I wouldn’t be there without the people that supported me along the way.”

Now, 24 years after their father last played at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Cayden and Cameron Boozer are wearing the same Duke uniform.

“It’s the third generation now,” Carlos Sr. said about his grandsons. “Whoever thought a young kid from Juneau, Alaska, would create something like this? It’s just awesome.”

Top-ranked recruits follow father’s footsteps

When the twins committed to Duke in October 2024, they were among the most coveted recruits in the country.

Cameron, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward, was ranked the No. 2 prospect in the nation.

Duke forward Cameron Boozer, left, hold his Most Valuable Player Award as Duke celebrates winning the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in an NCAA college basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, March 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)(Nell Redmond | AP)

Cayden, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard, was ranked No. 21.

Duke guard Cayden Boozer brings the ball upcourt against Virginia during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)(Nell Redmond | AP)

They were the first commitments in Duke’s 2025 recruiting class.

“I’m proud of them. They’ve worked their butts off for this moment,” Carlos Boozer Jr. said in an interview with ESPN at the time of the commitment. “They made the best decision for them. Me and mom couldn’t be any prouder.”

Renee Boozer said watching her grandsons has stirred deep emotions.

“I do a lot of crying,” she said. “I can’t help it. It does remind me of what we went through with Carlos. But it’s our legacy — it’s our grandchildren — and they’re doing so wonderful. It’s just pure joy.”

Both twins have made an impact for the top-seeded Blue Devils, but Cayden has drawn attention after being thrust into the starting point guard role — a position the family did not expect him to take on this soon.

“We thought Cayden would probably be waiting until next year before he got his opportunity to really show that he can run the team at that caliber,” Carlos Sr. said. “He kind of got thrown into the fire, but I think he will be able to step up and show that he can handle it.”

Cameron, meanwhile, has impressed with his athleticism around the basket and leads Duke in points, rebounds, and assists per game this season.

His grandfather admitted to sending real-time text messages to his son Carlos Jr. during games with unsolicited — but apparently effective — advice.

“I’ll text him real quick and give him my thoughts,” Carlos Sr. said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Cammy just needs to dunk the ball’ … and then Cammy went up and slammed it. Carlos wrote me back and said, ‘Hey, Pops, you were right on that one.’”

Family support system

The twins’ development has been a family effort. Renee credited CeCe Boozer, the boys’ mother, as the driving force behind their work ethic.

“You’ve got to give CeCe the props, because she’s the one that’s always talking and pushing them and trying to get them going,” Carlos Sr. said.

Carlos Jr. has also worked directly with his sons on their skills, and the boys’ uncle, Charles Boozer, has joined in workouts as well.

Carlos Sr. acknowledged his own coaching days are behind him.

“My skills and the things that I taught Carlos are so outdated compared to what they’re learning today,” he said. “I’m not in their ear — but they know that we care.”

The game has changed — but the passion hasn’t

Carlos Sr. noted that college basketball looks different than it did when his son played in the early 2000s.

“Basketball has changed. In my opinion, it’s more of a finesse game than it was back in the day,” he said. “If you just touch a guy a little bit, the whistle blows today.

“Back then, you had to throw a guy to the ground before they’d whistle. The game is a lot faster — more jump shots outside than going to the basket.”

Still, he said the electricity of college basketball — especially inside Cameron Indoor Stadium — remains unmatched.

“Cameron’s the best. Just the best,” Renee said. “The way the kids stand up the entire game, the signs they come up with — they even had one that said ‘Boozer Cruiser’ with Cameron and Cayden’s picture on a sailboat. It’s so cool.”

A community behind them

The Boozer family’s bond with Juneau has never faded. Carlos Jr. has returned to Alaska many times to host basketball camps, and at his Hall of Fame induction he credited the city with shaping who he became.

“Coming from Washington, D.C., all the way to Alaska, the community embraced our family and took us in,” Carlos Jr. said in September. “They helped raise me as a son, taught me what it meant to be a Crimson Bear, and I wore that for the rest of my career.”

That connection is alive and well as the twins take the court.

Duke enters the tournament as a No. 1 seed, but Carlos Sr. is not taking anything for granted. He pointed to a tough East Region bracket that includes programs led by coaches who have previously won national championships.

“For Duke to go through that and come out on the other side and make it to the Final Four — that’s a big accomplishment by itself, just to beat those type of teams,” he said. “Even though we’re number one, you’ve got to remember, we just barely got past Michigan State hitting a shot in the last minute.”

If Duke does advance to the Final Four, the grandparents have no intention of watching from Juneau.

“Of course we’re going down south to watch,” Carlos Sr. said. “That’s not even a question.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that Cameron and Cayden Boozer are the second generation of Boozers to attend Duke University, not the third.

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