Key guard confirms he’ll return to Duke basketball for another season in 2024-25
With the No. 1-ranked recruiting class full of wings and interior players arriving this summer, Duke basketball got good news about its backcourt Thursday.
After starting 59 games over the past two seasons, Tyrese Proctor informed the coaching staff he’ll be staying at Duke for his junior season, according to sources with knowledge of his decision.
A 6-5 point guard from Sydney, Australia, Proctor averaged 10.5 points while leading Duke with 3.7 assists per game as the Blue Devils went 27-9 this season. On Thursday night at the team’s season-ending banquet, he was named the team’s top defender
Proctor’s sophomore season ended on a sour note when he missed all nine of his shots while going scoreless in a 76-64 loss to N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament South Regional final.
His scoring average as a sophomore was up slightly over his freshman year, when he scored 9.4 points per game. Proctor also improved his overall shooting (42.3% compared to 38.1%) and 3-point shooting (35.2% compared to 32%).
Proctor accomplished that during an injury-marred season, though. He sprained his right ankle in the first two minutes of Duke’s 72-68 loss at Georgia Tech on Dec. 2, which kept him sidelined until Dec. 30. He also missed Duke’s 76-67 win at Florida State on Feb. 17 due to a concussion.
Next season, Proctor will be on a Duke team that will include 6-9 forward Cooper Flagg, the nation’s No. 1 recruit, Gatorade National Player of the Year award winner and the projected top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Blue Devils’ recruiting class also includes 7-2 center Khaman Maluach, 6-11 center Patrick Ngongba, 6-6 forward Isaiah Evans, 6-5 forward Kon Knueppel, and 6-4 forward Darren Harris.
One of Proctor’s classmates, 6-9 forward Mark Mitchell, put his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal on Tuesday. Another star sophomore, 7-foot forward Kyle Filipowski, is expected to enter the NBA Draft after leading Duke in scoring and rebounding for the second consecutive season.
With Proctor planning to return, Duke awaits decisions on its two other starting guards, Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach.
The 6-3 McCain, who averaged 14.3 points per game while making 41.4% of his 3-pointers as a freshman, could join Filipowski in the NBA Draft. Like Filipowski, McCain is projected as a first-round pick if he turns professional. McCain is still gathering information toward a decision.
Roach, a starter the past three seasons for the Blue Devils, has one more season of college eligibility because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 era rules that didn’t count the 2020-21 season against a player’s four-season limit. As a senior this season, Roach started 33 games while averaging 14 points and hitting 42.9% of his 3-pointers.
Roach considered turning professional last spring, putting his name in the NBA Draft pool, but withdrew from the draft without working out for any teams or attending the NBA Draft combine. He’s not projected as a first-round pick and has not yet given Duke’s coaching staff an answer about his plans for next season.
This story was originally published April 11, 2024 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Key guard confirms he’ll return to Duke basketball for another season in 2024-25."