Duke basketball star putting the NBA on hold, setting Blue Devils up for big season
The final player from the Duke’s ACC championship team with a stay-or-go pro decision has made his choice public.
Kyle Filipowski, the 7-foot freshman who led the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding last season, will stay in school for his sophomore season, putting a professional career on hold for at least another year.
“When I committed here, I said I wanted to help continue the Duke legacy,” Filipowski said in a video posted on social media. “I said I wanted to help coach (Jon) Scheyer build the foundation. I said I wanted to leave a legacy of my own. I meant what I said. Same dynasty. New legacy.”
Filipowski averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds for Duke’s 29-7 team that won the ACC tournament before losing to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament’s second round. He won the Everett Case Award as the ACC tournament’s most outstanding player.
Despite many mock drafts listing Filipowski as a first-round pick in the June NBA Draft, he said Tuesday that staying at Duke is his best choice. That’s in line with how he’s talked about his Duke experience.
In an interview with the News & Observer last month prior to the ACC tournament, Filipowski was effusive when talking about how much he enjoyed playing at Duke.
“I think I’ve definitely seen how much I’ve grown as a person and as a teammate, and found who I am by being here,” Filipowski said last month. “I think that’s exactly what I wanted when I was deciding where to pick a school. I got that here. There have been so many times this year where I’ve just said to myself, `Man, I’m so happy I picked Duke’. I’m so happy I made this choice. This was the right choice for me.”
And now he’s made the choice to stay at Duke again, with a chance to further improve his game to make him an even better NBA prospect for the 2024 draft.
Though he made just 28.2% of his 3-pointers with Duke, Filipowski showed the ability to score at all three levels — in the lane, from the mid-range and behind the 3-point line. He made 50.5% of his shot attempts inside the 3-point line. Another season gives him a chance to improve his 3-point shooting.
Filipowski joins two other Duke freshmen starters, 6-5 guard Tyrese Proctor and 6-8 forward Mark Mitchell, in announcing plans to play another season for the Blue Devils. A fourth starter, 6-2 junior guard Jeremy Roach, declared for the NBA Draft on Monday but has the option of returning for his senior season.
Two Duke freshman from last season’s team, 7-1 center Dereck Lively and 6-7 forward Dariq Whitehead, have already declared for the NBA Draft with no option to return.
Duke is actively pursing a veteran big man through the transfer portal. Kadin Shedrick, the 6-11 center from Holly Springs who played at Virginia the last three seasons, visited campus last weekend. According to a report by On.3.com, Duke is among five finalists to land Shedrick along with Texas, Xavier, Missouri and Kansas State.
Duke’s coaching staff had interest in 7-1 Kel’el Ware before he announced Monday that he would attend Indiana after playing last season at Oregon.
The Blue Devils have a four-man incoming recruiting class that is rated No. 2 in the country. It currently includes two 6-8 forwards — Sean Stewart and TJ Power — along with 6-5 guard Caleb Foster and 6-2 guard Jared McCain.
A third 6-8 forward, Mackenzie Mgbako, signed with Duke last November. But, not long after Filipowski’s decision to return on Tuesday, Mgbako asked for and was granted a release from his national letter of intent so he could play elsewhere.
That leaves Duke with one scholarship available to add one more player to next season’s roster, either as a transfer or another incoming freshman.
As for Filipowski, after helping the Blue Devils go 16-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium as a freshman, he’s ready to extend that home court winning streak come November.
“Playing in Cameron was so fun that I have to do it again,” Filipowski said. “I couldn’t really imagine only having one year in Cameron. There’s no place like it in collegiate basketball or the pros to be honest.”
This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 10:02 AM.