Duke star freshman Kyle Filipowski announces return for sophomore season
One of the nation’s top freshmen is returning for his sophomore season.
Kyle Filipowski, Duke’s leader in scoring and rebounding, announced Tuesday that he will be back with the Blue Devils for the 2023-24 season. Filipowski had a tremendous freshman season, averaging 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and was considered a potential first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
But instead of testing the NBA waters, Filipowski has decided to spend another season in Durham.
"Being at Duke this past year has been such a blessing,” Filipowski said in a video posted on Twitter. "I know you're wondering what comes next. When I committed here, I said I wanted to help continue the Duke legacy. I said I wanted to help Coach [Jon] Scheyer build a foundation. I said I wanted to leave a legacy of my own. I meant what I said. I'm not done yet. See you next year."
Duke won the ACC tournament and earned a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament this season. The Blue Devils blasted Oral Roberts in the first round before falling to a veteran Tennessee team in the second round, 65-52. Filipowski had 13 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
Duke finished the year with a 27-9 record.
Duke's top 2023 recruit asks for release
Filipowski’s return is a significant boon to second-year head coach Jon Scheyer’s roster. Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively II both are headed to the NBA, but Duke could return three other starters in addition to Filipowski. Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell will both be back while point guard Jeremy Roach declared for the draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility.
Filipowski, Proctor and Mitchell were part of Duke’s top-ranked 2022 recruiting class. And there’s another promising group coming in the class of 2023.
However, what was once a five-man class shrunk to four Tuesday.
As news of Filipowski’s return started to trickle out, five-star recruit Mackenzie Mgbako announced that he would request a release from his national letter of intent. Mgbako, a 6-foot-8 forward from New Jersey, was the highest-ranked player in Duke’s 2023 class. Mgbako is ranked No. 6 overall in the class of 2023 by Rivals.com.
In a statement posted on social media, Mgbako said he will be “re-opening his recruiting process to all schools.”
"After long thought, prayers and discussions with my parents and trusted advisors, I am writing to formally request a release from my NLI to Duke University," Mgbako wrote. "While I have great appreciation and respect for the Duke coaching staff and fans for their interest in me, I feel that there will be other places for me to continue my basketball journey, so I will be re-opening the recruiting process to all schools."
Mgbako’s role on the court next season likely would be impacted by Filipowski’s return as both are frontcourt players. Mgbako came in at No. 20 in Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek’s early NBA mock draft for 2024. By comparison, Filipowski was slotted at No. 10.
Though Mgbako’s departure is a notable one, there are four other five-star recruits set to join the Duke roster next season. All are ranked in the top 20 nationally by Rivals — guard Jared McCain (No. 12), forward Sean Stewart (No. 13), guard Caleb Foster (No. 18) and forward T.J. Power (No. 19).
