Duke basketball needed another guard. 5-star Tyrese Proctor is coming year early to help
Duke coach Jon Scheyer is dipping into his top-rated 2023 recruiting class to help out the Blue Devils’ current roster.
Tyrese Proctor, a five-star point guard from Australia who committed to Duke in April, has decided to reclassify and will enroll at Duke to play this season.
The 6-5 Proctor joins Duke a year early, one day after guard Trevor Keels decided to end his college career and stay in the NBA draft pool. A point guard, Proctor gives Duke another playmaker in the backcourt along with rising junior Jeremy Roach.
“We have had extensive talks with Tyrese and his family over the last few weeks and we are thrilled to be welcoming him on the 2022-23 team,” Scheyer said in a statement. “Tyrese has a special feel for the game with great scoring instincts who will add to the versatility, competitiveness, and high character of this team. He is such an advanced player with an international basketball resume that includes his NBA Global Academy experience who is more than ready to take on this opportunity right now.”
Duke’s recruitment of Proctor picked up speed this year when he received an offer in January. He made an official visit to campus in February and committed to the Blue Devils on April 7.
Since then, Duke lost five players from last season’s 32-7 team that won the ACC regular-season championship and reached the Final Four to the NBA draft. Keels was the only one of the four who declared for the draft while maintaining the option of returning to school.
But on Wednesday, about two hours before the 11:59 p.m. deadline to withdrawal, Keels decided to stay in the draft.
Earlier Wednesday, Scheyer said he liked his current roster but said, “We need to make sure we have enough ball handling and playmaking and those kinds of things.”
Proctor will help take care of that. He’ll join six other freshmen on Duke’s team, including 6-5 shooting guard Jaden Schutt. Proctor, Roach, Schutt and sophomore Jaylen Blakes give Duke four guards to go with a group of talented big men, which includes the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 7-1 center Derek Lively.
“The moment I stepped foot inside Cameron I knew it was where I belonged,” Proctor said in a statement he posted on social media. “I’m ready to step up and face a new challenge where I maximize my development as a player and continue to grow on and off the court. Waiting a year to put on that Duke jersey was too long. After weighing my options with my family and coaches, I’m excited to announce I will be reclassifying up to the class of 2022. It will be an honor to join Coach Scheyer’s first team and represent one of the best universities in the world on the basketball court. I can’t wait to get to work at Duke!”
Duke had sought to add an experienced guard through the transfer portal, welcoming Northern Iowa’s A.J. Green on a visit last month. But Green, after saying he’d play at Duke or Iowa State if he returned to college, decided to stay in the draft and turn professional.
The Blue Devils also expressed interest in Texas guard Courtney Ramey, who is in the transfer portal. Proctor’s decision to reclassify means Duke isn’t likely to be a good fit for Ramey.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 9:10 PM.