Who Stays - Who Goes

[chrishoke]

Hate to see O’Connell go, but it makes sense. Especially if he graduates this summer. Might as well find somewhere where he can get regular minutes. He was going to be the odd man out (and probably not alone) with the players coming and other players potentially returning. Wish him the best wherever he ends up.

This.
I will miss him bigly. Best of luck AOC, and thanks.

[MartyClark]

Hate to see O’Connell go, but it makes sense. Especially if he graduates this summer. Might as well find somewhere where he can get regular minutes. He was going to be the odd man out (and probably not alone) with the players coming and other players potentially returning. Wish him the best wherever he ends up.

Yeah, I agree with everything you said.

It's really difficult to succeed in major college basketball. AOC could jump, he could run, he could shoot but somehow didn't have enough of the other stuff to be a consistently good player at the highest college level. The game always seemed a little quick for him.

I hope he goes somewhere where he can play and thrive immediately. By all accounts ( other than some of his haircuts) a really good kid.

[Buckminsterfuller]

Best wishes to Alex. He's got talent and he seems like a good young man.

That explains the interest in Seth Towns.

It does not explain why Duke is kicking the tires on power forward/center types.

[scottdude8]

Best wishes to Alex. He's got talent and he seems like a good young man.

That explains the interest in Seth Towns.

It does not explain why Duke is kicking the tires on power forward/center types.

There is a very easy explanation for that (independent of any other speculation): Duke does not have a clear backup center on the roster for next season. We assume Mark Williams will start, but we saw with Carey this year that even the best freshman big can only be counted on for 20-25 MPG as a freshman. Hurt (assuming he returns) can play a small ball 5, but not for prolonged periods against ACC caliber bigs. So trying to find an experienced guy to play those 15-20 MPG behind Williams would make sense, regardless of any further movement.

[scottdude8]

So all the ruckus about Towns was for naught, as he’s going to OSU. Weird that they turned a transfer decision into a sports center recruitment thing, but ESPN needs content!

This indicates AOC’s decision probably wasn’t linked to Towns incoming, which one could read as positive tea leaves for Wendell at minimum.

[SouthernDukie]

I’ll play.

Vernon - 100%

Tre - 99%

Cassius - 95%

Wendell - 35%

Matthew - 30%

Jordan - 0%

Just a tad worried about the “T” word, but as not to violate rules on rumors I’ll say no more.

Go Duke!!!

Now that it’s official, I can say it out loud. I’ve been worried about Alex transferring out for quite some time. Even stretching back to the year before this one. I believe the staff had to do a little bit of work over the past summer to convince him to come back this year. It clearly wasn’t enough, and I don’t blame him one bit for wanting to see what he can do elsewhere. I will not root against this young man who gave his all for Duke. Best of luck, Alex.

[duke96]

Alex = another Semi?

[frb]

Per The Athletic's Brendan Marks, Matthew Hurt is considering entering the transfer portal. It's a subscription site- https://theathletic.com/1691976/2020...tart-for-duke/

There could be even more, though. Freshman forward Matthew Hurt, the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 9.7 points per game, is also considering entering the transfer portal, sources told The Athletic. The former five-star recruit struggled at times, and although less dramatically than O’Connell, also played fluctuating minutes. While Hurt’s shooting prowess translated from high school — he connected on 39.3 percent of his 3-point attempts — he struggled defensively against stronger and quicker players. And with six new signees already on board for next season, including power forwards Jaemyn Brakefield and Henry Coleman, there may not be as many minutes available for Hurt to work through those issues.

[Dukehk]

Per The Athletic's Brendan Marks, Matthew Hurt is considering entering the transfer portal. It's a subscription site- https://theathletic.com/1691976/2020...tart-for-duke/

There could be even more, though. Freshman forward Matthew Hurt, the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 9.7 points per game, is also considering entering the transfer portal, sources told The Athletic. The former five-star recruit struggled at times, and although less dramatically than O’Connell, also played fluctuating minutes. While Hurt’s shooting prowess translated from high school — he connected on 39.3 percent of his 3-point attempts — he struggled defensively against stronger and quicker players. And with six new signees already on board for next season, including power forwards Jaemyn Brakefield and Henry Coleman, there may not be as many minutes available for Hurt to work through those issues.

You would think that a rising Sophomore (previously in the top 10) would get preference over two freshman (ranked 25 and below). You would think that most guys would fight it out, improve dramatically and come back as a key focal point of the team.

I hope Matthew doesn't make the mistake of thinking things will change elsewhere. Duke is the best place to get to the Pros, even if you're not a one and done.

[golfinesquire]

I don”t understand why a guy whose goal is to get to the NBA is quickly as possible would gp the transfer route. That means at least two more years in college.

[arnie]

You would think that a rising Sophomore (previously in the top 10) would get preference over two freshman (ranked 25 and below). You would think that most guys would fight it out, improve dramatically and come back as a key focal point of the team.

I hope Matthew doesn't make the mistake of thinking things will change elsewhere. Duke is the best place to get to the Pros, even if you're not a one and done.

If his family doesn’t foresee increased playing time or they think he should be the focal pt of the offense; then they’re gonna want him to move on. This is the new college b-ball landscape and maybe his HS rankings have influenced everyone around him.

I’ve stopped worrying about who decides to stay, K will work with those that want to play and we will be fine.

[dukelifer]

I don”t understand why a guy whose goal is to get to the NBA is quickly as possible would gp the transfer route. That means at least two more years in college.

Rodney Hood says hello

[scottdude8]

The Hurt situation keeps reminding me more and more of the Marques Bolden situation. Many on this board, and some media sources, were sure he was transferring after his freshman season, which obviously didn’t happen. So I l’m holding out hope there, especially given that a transfer doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense for his NBA future (I think Rodney Hood was more the exception than the rule).

[budwom]

Is this the year we'll play ten guys, or was that last year? I keep getting confused...

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Is this the year we'll play ten guys, or was that last year? I keep getting confused...

Well, we used a longer bench most of the year and didn't get to the Final Four, so...

[arnie]

Well, we used a longer bench most of the year and didn't get to the Final Four, so...

Final 4? We didn’t get a tourney invite either. That’s the Cheat fan mentality.

[dukebluesincebirth]

Per The Athletic's Brendan Marks, Matthew Hurt is considering entering the transfer portal. It's a subscription site- https://theathletic.com/1691976/2020...tart-for-duke/

There could be even more, though. Freshman forward Matthew Hurt, the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 9.7 points per game, is also considering entering the transfer portal, sources told The Athletic. The former five-star recruit struggled at times, and although less dramatically than O’Connell, also played fluctuating minutes. While Hurt’s shooting prowess translated from high school — he connected on 39.3 percent of his 3-point attempts — he struggled defensively against stronger and quicker players. And with six new signees already on board for next season, including power forwards Jaemyn Brakefield and Henry Coleman, there may not be as many minutes available for Hurt to work through those issues.

There’s been an update added to this story stating that a source close to Matthew said he is NOT considering transferring.

[Troublemaker]

Per The Athletic's Brendan Marks, Matthew Hurt is considering entering the transfer portal. It's a subscription site- https://theathletic.com/1691976/2020...tart-for-duke/

There could be even more, though. Freshman forward Matthew Hurt, the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 9.7 points per game, is also considering entering the transfer portal, sources told The Athletic. The former five-star recruit struggled at times, and although less dramatically than O’Connell, also played fluctuating minutes. While Hurt’s shooting prowess translated from high school — he connected on 39.3 percent of his 3-point attempts — he struggled defensively against stronger and quicker players. And with six new signees already on board for next season, including power forwards Jaemyn Brakefield and Henry Coleman, there may not be as many minutes available for Hurt to work through those issues.

Yeah, I (and others I'm sure) had heard rumblings about this in recent days. I hope everyone understands Duke's interest in those grad transfers now.

About that -- I much prefer Bruner, who has more perimeter skills than Tape. I consider Bruner a very important get at this point. It's not that SF-Moore PF-Johnson C-Bruner is a frontcourt of absolutely ideal spacing or anything, but man, I really don't want to stick a traditional big man in the 5 spot.

[lotusland]

Hurt’s going to play big minutes next year if he works on PNR defense, get’s stronger and is willing to play a few mpg at the 5 spot. Those are all things he needs to do to succeed in the pros. Hurt transferring would make about as much sense as Derryck Thornton transferring so I guess it could happen.

[scottdude8]

There’s been an update added to this story stating that a source close to Matthew said he is NOT considering transferring.

Interesting. I think we all need to adopt the same mindset with the “t” word that we often do with recruiting: nothing is real until it comes from the players’ mouth!