Another Duke basketball rookie announces plan for next season

As with Tyrese Proctor, who revealed his decision on Monday, fellow Duke basketball freshman Mark Mitchell has decided to return to Durham next season for a sophomore campaign.

Mitchell, who arrived at Duke as a five-star recruit at No. 20 overall on the 247Sports 2022 Composite, announced his decision via the following tweet on Thursday morning:

Let’s run it back 😈💙 pic.twitter.com/g3X4cu3Ls3
— Mark Mitchell (@Mark_mitchell25) March 30, 2023

Although Mark Mitchell required some time to establish his role as a Blue Devil last season, he played and started 35 straight games for first-year head coach Jon Scheyer before a knee injury in practice sidelined him for Duke basketball's season-ending loss to Tennesse on March 18 in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32.

Not only did the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward emerge as an aggressive defensive stopper, capable of defending almost any position on the court, but he also stepped up as a clutch shotmaker several times. Just replay his clutch bucket at home, with Mike Krzyzewski in attendance, to ensure a victory over Notre Dame in February.

The 19-year-old Kansas City native averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game.

In the most recent 2023 aggregate mock draft, courtesy of HoopsHype, he appeared at No. 59 overall. If he can improve his offensive skill set as a sophomore, there's no telling how high he could go at the 2024 NBA Draft.

Or perhaps it's not crazy to think that Mark Mitchell might stick around in college even longer than that.

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