Kyle Filipowski to Return to Duke Amid Jeremy Roach's Decision to Enter NBA Draft
Center Kyle Filipowski announced Tuesday that he is returning to Duke for his sophomore season in 2023-24.
During his freshman campaign, the 7-footer led the Blue Devils in scoring with 15.1 points per game and in rebounding with 8.9 boards per contest.
Filipowski's announcement came after Duke guard Jeremy Roach decided Monday to enter the 2023 NBA draft while still maintaining his college eligibility, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium.
In Jon Scheyer's first season as the head coach at Duke following Mike Krzyzewski's retirement, the Blue Devils went 27-9, won the ACC tournament and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament where they fell to Tennessee.
Filipowski was considered one of the crown jewels of Scheyer's first recruiting class, as 247Sports rated him a 5-star prospect and the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2022 class.
Scheyer also secured the Nos. 2 and 3 overall recruits in 247Sports' rankings in wing Dariq Whitehead and center Dereck Lively II.
Neither Whitehead nor Lively came close to matching Filipowski's impact as a freshman, as Whitehead averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while Lively averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
Both Whitehead and Lively declared for the draft despite their production leaving something to be desired, but with Filipowski, third-leading scorer Tyrese Proctor and fourth-leading scorer Mark Mitchell all slated to return, the Blue Devils should be a force to be reckoned with again next season.
Roach's return remains possible as well since he is dipping his toe in the proverbial draft waters and reserving the right to return to Duke if he isn't satisfied with where he is projected to go in the draft.
Roach was second to Filipowski in scoring for the Blue Devils last season, averaging 13.6 points per game.
Prior to his decision to return to school, ESPN ranked Filipowski as the No. 16 overall prospect in the 2023 NBA draft, meaning he would have had a chance to get taken in the lottery.
