“It was just my time to go”: Baylor transfer Jeremy Roach reveals untold story behind his departure from Jon Scheyer-led Duke

Jeremy Roach sent shockwaves in the offseason as he transferred after four productive seasons with the Duke Blue Devils. The Baylor Bears made the most of his decision, strengthening their roster by picking up the talented guard for the 2024-25 season.

In a Monday snippet from an interview with Jeff Goodman on "The Field of 68" podcast that will be published Tuesday, Roach talked about telling Duke coach Jon Scheyer about his decision to leave Durham.

"It was kind of like a mutual thing," said Roach. "I mean, (Jon Scheyer) already kind of knew what was, what I was kind of expecting."

Although Roach indicated he wanted to finish his college basketball career at Duke, he acknowledged circumstances prevented him from doing so:

"Personally, I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay but just like stuff didn’t meet up. It was just my time to go."

Roach was one of Duke's top guards, representing the Blue Devils as their captain for his last two seasons. In 108 starts, he averaged 11.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists, helping them reach the 2022 Final Four.

His shooting numbers solidified his consistency, shooting .439 from the field, .356 from 3-point range and .787 from the free-throw line.

Jeremy Roach eager to shine with Baylor in the 2024-25 season

Duke's loss is Baylor's gain as Jeremy Roach was ranked the second-best point guard and the 11th-best overall player in the transfer portal by On3. In his final season with Duke, Roach earned All-ACC third-team honors and averaged 14.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3.3 apg.

Jeremy Roach was one of the top players in the transfer portal this offseason.

Amid his preparations for the 2024-25 season, Roach looks set to remind the country exactly how good a point guard he is.

"Imma let the whole world know right now," Roach said. "I’m not a two, I’m not a three, I’m not a scoring guard. I’m a point guard. Like, it’s – cut all the two-guard. No, no, no, no. That was just what I had to do at Duke.

"Right now, I’m a point guard, and it’s great to get back to what I do. Just feel more comfortable, getting back to myself. There’s nothing like it."

After withdrawing from the 2024 NBA draft to join the Bears, Roach will look to impress in this season and raise his stock for next year's draft. Roach's addition comes a short time after the Bears picked up star small forward Norchad Omier, which should give them confidence to produce a strong season.