Duke men’s basketball is depending on its veterans even with another excellent recruiting class.
Naturally, the Duke Blue Devils recruited four five-star freshmen for the upcoming men’s basketball season. Duke operates in that manner. Under Jon Scheyer, it took place under Mike Krzyzewski and will go on for some time to come.
However, it’s becoming more and more clear that the veteran players on the Blue Devils, especially those in their sophomore class, will determine how the team plays out its season.
Jeremy Roach, a senior guard, leads the team. Sean Stewart, Caleb Foster, and Jared McCain, all freshmen, play important roles. However, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski appear set to define this season for the 14–4 Devils.
Take Tuesday night in Louisville, for example. Just one minute and eleven seconds into the second half against the Cardinals, Roach hobbled to the bench. The Duke guard was out for the evening after sitting out an unexpected loss to Pittsburgh due to a reinjured right leg. In the end, he would walk on crutches out of the KFC Yum Center.
Being cautious? Perhaps. But the Blue Devils would have to play the remainder of the game without their skipper in the midst of an unexpectedly close game.
It was taken up by the sophomores. Proctor scored a game-high 24 points, including 13 in the second half. With 10 points and nine rebounds in the second half alone, Filipowski came dangerously close to a double double, finishing with 17 and 15 points along with a team-high five assists. After missing the first two games due to an injury, Mitchell was unstoppable at the rim, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Duke improved to 5-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an 83-69 victory.
During that second half, Filipowski claims he had an epiphany during an in-game huddle. “We have a lot of experience, and I’m thinking that while I’m in the huddle,” he says.
Regarding his veterans, Scheyer states, “It’s really everything.” “I considered Flip, Mark, and Tyrese in particular, as they went through last season; we experienced similar situations when things kind of broke apart. Naturally, they were the ones having the most conversations in the huddle. All three of them guys made a significant contribution.
Of course, those three were a part of their own all-star recruiting class. According to 247Sports, Filipowski ranked fourth nationwide, Mitchell at number thirteen, and Proctor at number twenty-three. Together with Dariq Whitehead (No. 3) and Dereck Lively II (the No. 2 overall prospect), they came at Duke last year.
