Duke’s Reddish returns to court, but takes back seat in loss
While the cameras engulfed his more famous teammates, reporters peppering Zion Willamson and RJ Barrett with questions in the locker room, the third of Duke’s star-studded rated recruiting class picked at his tights, hands crossed in his lap.
Cam Reddish, who came off the bench for the first time all season, was a bystander in the post-game scrum after the Blue Devils’ season-ending 68-67 loss to Michigan State in the East Regional final.
On the court, he wasn’t much more involved either.
Reddish was 2-for-8 from the field, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range, and finished with eight points in 36-plus minutes. Reddish took his last shot from the field with 6:10 remaining in the game.
Barrett and Williamson, who along with Reddish ranked 1-2-3 in some 2018 recruiting rankings, combined for 36 shot attempts including the final four as Duke attempted to hold off the Spartans.
Reddish missed Friday’s regional semifinal against Virginia Tech with knee tendonitis, the determination to sit out made just minutes before tip. By Sunday, the knee was better but Duke opted to bring the 6-foot-8 forward off the bench for certainty.
“At first, I was pretty much good. It did get sore toward the end,” he acknowledged.
Reddish entered the game with 17:59 remaining in the first half. He said he never considered not playing or coming out.
“Not a chance. I wanted to be out there with my brothers,” Reddish said. “I did all the treatment I could do.”
Alex O’Connell started in Reddish’s place for the second consecutive game. O’Connell said he was told Saturday that he’d start.
“He had a smile on his face throughout the day, so I figured was feeling a lot better,” O’Connell said of Reddish. “He came out and played really well tonight. I could tell he was feeling better.”
Reddish was largely tasked with defending Michigan State’s Matt McQuaid, who made just 1-of-4 3-pointers. McQuaid had nine points in 38 minutes, including a circus lay-up after driving around Reddish and twisting in the air.
Reddish added four rebounds, two blocks and an assist, which came on Javin DeLaurier’s basket that cut the Duke deficit to 63-61.
“You saw he played great today, big minutes for us,” Barrett said. “We always needed him.”
Reddish knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer in the Blue Devils’ regular-season win against Florida State. Williamson missed the second half of that game with an eye injury and the Seminoles double-teamed Barrett, leaving Reddish wide open, on the final play.
Barrett said Duke drew up the same play at the end of Sunday night’s game. But the ball did not go to Reddish. Instead, Barrett was fouled going to the basket.
Like Williamson, Barrett and fellow freshman Tre Jones, Reddish is expected to declare for the NBA Draft, though Reddish said Sunday night that no decision had been made. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said this weekend that there is no structural problem with Reddish’s knee.
Reddish said he plans to continue working with Nick Potter, a Duke trainer, on his rehabbing the knee.
“He’s one of the best out there. I don’t think it should take long for me to get fully recovered,” Reddish said.
This story was originally published March 31, 2019 at 9:16 PM.
