Duke basketball loses a freshman forward to the transfer portal
Duke is losing a player to the transfer portal.
Freshman forward Jaemyn Brakefield entered his name the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday intending to continue his career at another school.
“We support the decision made by Jaemyn and his family,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “He was a terrific representative of our program and we wish him all of the best as he continues his academic and athletic pursuits. Jaemyn has a bright future ahead of him and we will miss him.”
The 6-8 Brakefield played in 22 games with two starts for the 13-11 Blue Devils this season, averaging 3.5 points per game. His most productive games were a 12-point effort in a Dec. 4, 76-64 win over Bellarmine and his 11 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots in Duke’s 66-65 win over Virginia on Feb. 20.
He played 12.4 minutes per game and was an all-ACC academic selection for the fall semester, meaning his grade point average was 3.0 or better.
“The opportunity to be a Blue Devil meant the world to me and I want to thank everyone I met in my time here at Duke,” Brakefield said in a statement. “The bonds I built will be with me forever. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals to be around during these unpredictable times and I thank my coaches, teammates and our fans for accepting me with open arms. With that being said, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal. I look forward to experiencing what God has in store for me ahead.”
Brakefield is the second player from Duke’s freshman class to leave the program this year. Jalen Johnson, a 6-9 forward, declared for the NBA Draft in February, ending his college career after he’d played only 13 games with eight starts for the Blue Devils. Johnson withdrew from school later that month.
Duke has two forwards signed for the incoming freshmen class in 6-9 Paolo Banchero and 6-7 A.J. Griffin. Both are rated as five-star recruits.
Another forward from this season’s team, 6-9 sophomore Matthew Hurt, is expected to at least enter his name in the NBA Draft pool after his all-ACC season.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 6:29 PM.