The Duke men’s basketball program received some good news on Monday morning, as one of the program’s top players has decided to return to the team for another season. The Blue Devils had an uneven showing in the team’s first season in the post-Mike Krzyzewski era of basketball. Still, Duke finished third in the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) and made it to the first weekend of the tournament before an untimely Round of 32 loss to Tennessee in Jon Scheyer’s first season as the program’s head coach.
That’s why point guard Tyrese Proctor is running it back for another season. The Australia native will make the NBA wait, as he has some unfinished business to attend to, and will return to Durham for his sophomore season in 2024, he announced on Twitter Monday.
Unfinished Business. Let’s run it back 5 😈 pic.twitter.com/ldNkNDVUhC
— Tyrese Proctor (@TyreseProctor) March 27, 2023
“This is the best decision for my career, both present and future,” Proctor told ESPN. “Coach Scheyer and I share the same vision; we have unfinished business. We have the best staff in the country, and they will push me each and every day.”
Proctor, who was considered the No. 30 prospect in ESPN’s 2023 NBA draft projections, has a chance to become a lottery selection in next year’s draft. In his first season with the Blue Devils, Proctor averaged 9.3 points/per game with 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds/per game. With another season of collegiate experience under his belt, the 6-foot-5 Proctor can become one of the better players in the ACC in 2024 and perhaps a top draft pick.
The college basketball world reacted to the major Duke news on social media. as Proctor’s decision to return to school was met with huge approval.
Tyrese Proctor’s return — one of several expected for Duke — is a win-win for both sides. Proctor gets a full college offseason to hone his body/shot, and Jon Scheyer gets back a proven quantity at PG who should contend for ACC honors.
More Blue Devil decisions to come…
— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) March 27, 2023
Tyrese Proctor has among the highest sophomore year ceilings of any Duke player in the last decade.
Up there with Mark Williams, Tre Jones, Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen.
Point guard is the most important position in CBB, and Duke will have one of the absolute best in 2024. pic.twitter.com/x5rC59JCFM
— The Brotherhood (@BrotherhoodCBB) March 27, 2023
Tyrese Proctor is going to be on All-American watch next year 🔥
— Ryan Lommen (@TheDukeNation) March 27, 2023
Tyrese Proctor reclassified this season, but if he had stayed, he’d be a bonafide Top 5-10 recruit in the 2023 class.
A NBA team likely would’ve taken a flier on him this year in the late 1st, but he’s running it back and could potentially turn himself into a lottery pick.
— Rick Heidrick (@rheidrick24) March 27, 2023
Love Tyrese’s game. Had him solidly between late 20s and early 30s most of the year. This is a great decision. Super intelligent guy and I look forward to his development offensively next year! @TyreseProctor https://t.co/VS0NyRUIMV
— The Two Pointers Podcast (@TwoPointers) March 27, 2023
Welcome back @TyreseProctor 😈👏🏼
— Kaitlin Tomassoni (@ktomassoni1) March 27, 2023
[ESPN]
