Duke basketball transfers, freshmen talk ‘welcome to Duke’ moments with Blue Devils

Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach got a taste of the Olympic experience this summer before rejoining their Duke basketball teammates.

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, spent some time practicing with Team USA in Las Vegas. Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center, suited up for South Sudan in Paris and helped his squad win its first game in Olympic history.

But what about the other newcomers and their “welcome to Duke” moments this summer?

Here’s what freshmen Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans, Darren Harris and Patrick Ngongba, along with transfers Mason Gillis, Sion James and Maliq Brown, had to say about joining the Blue Devils.

Growing pains for Kon Knueppel, Isaiah Evans

Known for racking up points as two of the top scorers in high school basketball, Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans are learning what it takes to elevate their games at the college level.

During a summer scrimmage, Knueppel said, the Blue Devils had mostly freshmen on one team with sophomore guard Caleb Foster. The other squad featured everyone else, particularly the Blue Devils’ veterans.

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“We were playing against the rest of the guys and were up like five or seven with a minute to go, just doing situational stuff. We blew it,” Knueppel said with a smile. “We turned it over on an inbound pass and they hit a 3, and sent it to overtime. Then we lost in overtime. It was just like, man, that’s being a freshman.”

Evans referenced a one-on-one situation against junior guard Tyrese Proctor, the player with the most Duke experience.

“I can remember, we were playing in the summer, and I think for like a week straight … Tyrese just ended the game on me, with the exact same move on me every single day. That was probably my welcome-to-Duke moment,” Evans said.

Eventually, Evans figured it out.

“After like 17 times,” he said, smiling, “I was ready for it.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/duke-basketball-transfers-freshmen-talk-080508817.html

Author : The Fayetteville Observer

Publish date : 2024-10-01 08:05:08

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