Category Archives: Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball

Javin DeLaurier & Marques Bolden Will Test NBA Waters

Javin DeLaurier

DURHAM, N.C. – Rising Duke men’s basketball seniors Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden have announced their intentions to enter the NBA Draft process.

Both submitted their draft paperwork ahead of the April 21 deadline. They will gather feedback from NBA personnel over the coming weeks, but will maintain their collegiate eligibility, leaving open the possibility of returning to the Blue Devils.

Marques Bolden

DeLaurier was one of two Blue Devils to play all 38 games this season, making 16 starts, and averaging 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The Shipman, Va., native made 59 of his 79 field goal attempts for a .747 percentage. Bolden averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in 35 games this season. The native of DeSoto, Texas, shot .579 from the field.

Bolden and DeLaurier blocked 58 and 50 shots this season, respectively, helping Duke set both a program and ACC single-season record with 257 blocked shots this season.

The Blue Devils now have five in the draft process along with freshmen RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish and Zion Williamson.

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Matthew Hurt Joins Duke Brotherhood

A major Duke target, Matthew Hurt, announced this afternoon that he will be the newest Blue Devil.

The 6-9, 210 pounds, Minnesota native played his high school basketball for John Marshall in Rochester.

Hurt will join fellow Minnesota native Tre Jones who elected to return for his sophomore season.  It is believed that this helped in his recruitment.

Duke had been a favorite for the last several months and Hurt spurned Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina to play in Durham.

Hurt received 19 total offers but many teams fell to the wayside with him being a consensus five-star prospect.

The Blue Devils head coach, Mike Krzyzewski took a vested interest in Hurt's recruitment where he played.  Duke played the long game with Hurt, whom they knew would not make an early decision.

Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer was the lead assistant in Hurt's recruitment.

The entire Duke coaching staff visited in-home with the Hurt family in early March.

The fact that four blue blood programs sought Hurt's services speaks volumes with concern to his talent.  A very skilled offensive player with size, Hurt is all but penciled into next years starting five.

Hurt was a mainstay on Team USA during his high school basketball career.   He was also named to the McDonald's All American game.  Hurt also garnered the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Award.

With Hurt on board, the Blue Devils will now turn their attention to Cassius Stanley, a high-flying, top-rated shooting guard from California.  He will make his decision this coming Monday.

Hurt joins Vernon Carey Jr., Wendell Moore Jr, and Boogie Ellis giving Duke one of the nation's elite recruiting classes.

 

 

Duke Basketball

Cam Reddish to Enter NBA Draft

COLUMBIA, SC - MARCH 22: North Dakota State v Duke during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Lance King for BDN)

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshman forward Cam Reddish has announced that he will enter his name in the 2019 NBA Draft.

An honorable mention All-ACC selection, Reddish completed his freshman season at Duke averaging 13.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals. He made 33.3 percent from three-point range, and was the team’s best free-throw shooter.

“We were honored to have Cam and his family be a part of our program,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He had an excellent freshman year that was interrupted at different times with nagging injuries. I admired the way he responded and helped us. He has an amazing future ahead of him as a player. We are proud that he was part of a truly spectacular year.”

Reddish was his best in the clutch, draining a game-winning three-pointer before the buzzer to beat No. 13 Florida State in Tallahassee and scoring 16 of Duke’s final 30 points during a furious second-half comeback win at Louisville. He drained a clutch three-pointer in the final two minutes against UCF, helping Duke reach the Sweet 16.

“That feeling of putting on the Duke uniform in indescribable,” said Reddish. “I’ll always be grateful to have been part of such a special season. I would like to thank the coaches for pushing me each day, my teammates for welcoming me into the Brotherhood and the Crazies for the support. I’m looking forward to what’s next, and excited to officially announce I’m entering the 2019 NBA Draft.”

Reddish scored 22 in Duke’s season-opening win over Kentucky, with his career-high of 27 coming against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

The Blue Devils have had at least one player selected in 31 of 38 drafts under Krzyzewski. Coach K has tutored a total of 61 draft picks since taking over the Duke program, including a Draft-record 38 first-round selections.

Duke has produced 18 first-round picks in the last 10 seasons, including at least one in each of the last eight years. Thirteen of Duke’s last 15 picks, and 20 of the last 25, have come in the first round, including 13 lottery picks.

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke Staff Will Be Active as Open Period Begins

The Duke Men's Basketball staff will be out on the road recruiting as the open period begins today.  The NCAA allows the team to have on and off-campus contact with student-athletes through the 14th.

The Blue Devils got a shot in the arm when Tre Jones decided to return for his sophomore season but they are now trying to finalize next years roster.

Despite having layered back up options, it would appear that they want to round out their roster with ...

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Duke Basketball

RJ Barrett Enters NBA Draft

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshman forward RJ Barrett has announced that he will enter his name in the 2019 NBA Draft.

A first-team All-ACC selection, a consensus first-team All-American, and the USA Today National Player of the Year, Barrett was tied for the ACC lead in scoring with classmate Zion Williamson at 22.6 points per game. He broke both the Duke and ACC freshman scoring records with 860 points, and finished with the second most points by a Duke player in a single season, trailing only the 941 points by J.J. Redick in his 2006 senior campaign.

“From start to finish, RJ was there every second,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He played the most minutes, broke scoring records and was consistently excellent. He became one of our best defensive rebounders, and was close to triple-doubles quite a bit because of his scoring, rebounding and assists. Having reclassified to come to Duke early, he’s just so advanced for this stage of his career. He comes from an incredible family, he’s a winner in every sense, and it was so special to have RJ in our program.”

Barrett was the only Blue Devil to start all 38 games, leading the team to a 32-6 record, the final AP No. 1 ranking, an ACC Championship and the Elite Eight. The freshman averaged 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and recorded just the program’s fourth triple double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against NC State on Feb. 16.

“I want to thank the Duke fans for their love and support all season,” said Barrett. “It was amazing to play for Coach K, and have such a special season that included an ACC Championship. It was always a dream of mine to play for Duke, and it’s also a dream of mine to play in the NBA and have great success there. After discussing with my family and coaches, I have decided to declare for the 2019 NBA Draft. I want to thank the Crazies and the entire Duke community for everything you’ve given to me. I’ll always be a part of the Brotherhood and I hold that very near and dear to my heart.”

Barrett was the only major conference player to score 13 or more points in every game he played. He and Williamson became the first freshman teammates in NCAA history to each average 20 points in a season. Barrett’s 402 points in home games broke the Cameron Indoor Stadium single-season record.

The Blue Devils have had at least one player selected in 31 of 38 NBA Drafts under Krzyzewski. Coach K has tutored a total of 61 draft picks since taking over the Duke program, including a draft-record 38 first-round selections.

Duke has produced 18 first-round picks in the last 10 seasons, including at least one in each of the last eight years. Thirteen of Duke’s last 15 picks, and 20 of the last 25, have come in the first round, including 13 lottery picks.

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke Very Much Alive With RJ Hampton

As the final buzzer closed on the 2019 basketball season in Minneapolis last evening, Virginia was left standing as the national champion.

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Cavaliers twice in the regular season but fell short of their goal with a one-point loss to Michigan State.

It didn't take long for Las Vegas to make the Cavaliers the choice to repeat, but the Blue Devils are right there with them, listed at a slightly less favorite.

The bottom line is that despite the disappointing loss in the tournament and departure of monster talent to the NBA, Duke Basketball never stops.

On the same day as the final, Tre Jones officially announced his return to Duke.  And that is a big deal in that he will not only improve as a player but provide instant leadership as a likely captain to be.

The return of Jones also bodes well for Duke landing coveted prospect Matthew Hurt.  There is an instant Minnesota connection between Hurt and Jones and undoubtedly contact between the two about playing together.

It didn't take long for speculation, to begin with, another key Duke prospect in RJ Hampton.  The rising senior is down to four schools and may well reclassify and come out of high school a year early.

While many thought the return of Jones would hurt the efforts with Hampton, think again.  Here is a quote from Hampton in an ESPN article released today.

"With Duke, you can’t go wrong, you’ve got the best coach ever and just seeing what he did with the freshmen this year makes it a real hard option to pass up."

You can view the complete article in the link below.

The bottom line is that the Duke staff has developed a relationship with Hampton and Hurt over time and that both players are highly interested in Duke on multiple levels.

Players want to come to Duke.  They want to play in the limelight and talented players recognize, the path that goes through Durham leads to exposure, improvement and the NBA.

It remains to be seen who will join the brotherhood at Duke.  But rest assured, the Blue Devils are not finished recruiting and they have their sights set on another run.

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The R.J. Hampton Blog: Down to four, reclassifying possibility and more