Elite Duke basketball freshman coming back for 'unfinished business'
Tyrese Proctor will become a Duke basketball sophomore. The savvy, unselfish point guard, a former five-star recruit from Australia who reclassified to join the 2022-23 Blue Devils, revealed his decision to return to Durham via a tweet on Monday morning.
One could argue that Proctor is Duke's most talented returning player since point guard Tre Jones came back for a sophomore campaign in 2019-20.
"Unfinished business" was the theme of Proctor's tweeted announcement and video:
He's the first Blue Devil to let the public know his plans following the team's NCAA Tournament exit in the Round of 32 at the hands of Tennessee on March 18. More such announcements should appear in the coming days and weeks, with the expectation that at least a few players will turn pro early.
As a freshman, Tyrese Proctor was a full-time starter but averaged only 9.4 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 32.0 percent from downtown across his 29.4 minutes per game. However, on paper and according to the eye test, his play consistently improved from one month to the next.
Next season, assuming junior point guard Jeremy Roach leaves this offseason, the 6-foot-5, 175-pound Proctor will likely be Duke basketball's starting floor general alongside one of the program's two five-star signees in the backcourt: point guard Caleb Foster or combo guard Jared McCain.
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Proctor, who turns 19 on April Fools' Day, could be a leading preseason candidate for ACC Player of the Year. Then again, it's not out of the question that the Blue Devils' top performer, freshman power forward Kyle Filipowski, will join him in valuing "unfinished business" in a Duke basketball jersey over beginning a career at the next level.
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