The Duke men’s basketball program is now zero-for-two on securing grad transfers for the 2020-21 season. Coach Krzyzewski is losing all four of his big men, including graduate student Justin Robin, seniors Javin DeLaurier, Jack White, and potential first-rounder Vernon Carey, Jr. While Coach K has some big-bodied incoming freshman, including seven-footer Mark Williams from the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., it would help to have a big man with some college experience.
Duke’s first “get” was former Harvard forward Seth Towns. The Columbus, Ohio, native narrowed his two schools to Duke and Ohio State. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 16 points along with 5.7 rebounds in 2017 and earned Ivy League Men’s Player of the Year honors. Towns has been absent from the court for the last two seasons after suffering a knee injury. The former top-100 high school recruit in 2016 made his decision on a Sunday evening on SportsCenter. Towns selected the hometown Buckeyes.
Still looking to add a veteran big man presence, Duke sets its eyes on another Ivy League player in former Columbia big man Patrick Tape. The 6-foot-10 Charlotte, N.C., native sat out this past season after tearing a ligament in his toe over the summer of 2019 and then reaggravated it before the start of the season. Ranked in the top 10 of grad transfers, Tape averaged 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds during the 2018-19 season.
After narrowing his decision down to four schools, Tape selected Duke over Syracuse, USC, and Ohio State. However, just nine days after making his commitment, Tape has since decommitted, according to a report from Evan Daniels of 247 Sports. There was no immediate reason from Tape for reopening his recruitment.
Columbia transfer Patrick Tape just decommitted from Duke, sources tell @247Sports. Tape, one of the top graduate transfers, had committed on March 24th. | Story: https://t.co/oYyKjdGYSZ pic.twitter.com/25qI0YC0GF
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) April 2, 2020
