Duke basketball is actively looking for transfer portal players. One is visiting campus

Seeking to add a strong defensive presence with scoring punch to next season’s team, Duke basketball welcomes Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown to campus on Thursday for a recruiting visit.

The 6-8, 222-pound Brown made the ACC’s all-defensive team last season as a sophomore, when he started 18 times among his 31 games played for the Orange. A native of Culpeper, Virginia, he played two seasons with the Orange before entering his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal on April 1.

As a sophomore, Brown averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game as Syracuse went 20-12. Impressively, he made 72% of his two-point shot attempts.

His best overall performance came on Jan. 2 at Cameron Indoor Stadium when Duke beat the Orange, 86-66. Brown scored 26 points on 11 of 16 shooting. That included five dunks. He grabbed seven rebounds and played 32 turnover-free minutes.

Brown recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds when Syracuse lost, 83-65, to N.C. State in the ACC Tournament’s second round on March 13 in Washington, D.C. That was one of five double-double performances for Brown last season.

Duke envisions Brown as a power forward along with 6-9 freshman Cooper Flagg at small forward, due to Flagg’s 3-point shooting ability. The Blue Devils are also adding 7-1 center Khaman Maluach as part of their freshman class this summer. Brown’s defensive ability and scoring prowess inside would certainly improve an already talented Duke roster for Jon Scheyer’s third season as head coach.

Duke is losing 6-9 Mark Mitchell, a starting forward the last two seasons who entered the transfer portal seeking a new school for his final two seasons of college eligibility. Mitchell averaged 11.6 points and six rebounds per game last season for the Blue Devils (27-9).

Duke’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, 7-foot forward Kyle Filipowski, is giving up his final two seasons of college eligibility to enter the NBA Draft. Another reserve center, 7-1 Christian Reeves, entered the transfer portal after playing sparingly the last two seasons.

The Blue Devils also have interest in Purdue transfer Mason Gillis, a 6-6 forward from the Boilermakers’ NCAA tournament runner-up team. Gillis has been with the Boilermakers since the 2019-20 season but has one season of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 pandemic rules.

Gillis averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing in 39 games as a reserve for Purdue last season. He made 46.8% of his 3-pointers last season and is a 40.7% 3-point shooter for his college career.