Duke Reaches Out to Two Ivy League Transfers

Blue Devils have expressed interest in Yale, Harvard wings

Duke has a six-man freshman class entering for the 2020-21 season, anticipating losing several upperclassmen to the NBA Draft. Currently, pending NBA decisions by Tre Jones, Cassius Stanley and Vernon Carey Jr., who are all expected to leave, the Blue Devils have 14 scholarships for 13 spots.

Duke is preparing for the possibility that more than one leaves by exploring options in the graduate transfer portal.

According to reports, Blue Devils coaches have reached out to two potential grad transfers from the Ivy League:

Seth Towns, of Harvard, is a 6-foot-7, 215-pound small forward from Columbus, Ohio, who was a three-star recruit when he chose the Crimson. He averaged 16 ppg in 2018 and has scored 825 points in two years at Harvard. He hit 44 percent of his three-point attempts in his most recent season. Tows has battled injury the last two years. He has two years of eligibility remaining, which is a bonus for whichever team eventually lands him.

Against power conference competition, Towns has excelled. He hit 6-of-7 from three for 25 points against Kentucky and put up 18 against Boston College.

There’s obviously a connection between Towns and Duke, since former Blue Devils point guard Tommy Amaker was his coach. Duke got a late start on Towns, however. Hometown school Ohio State has been the favorite destination, and Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, and Syracuse were all considered finalists.

In an odd clash of messages, media outlets in contact with Towns have reported that he is now down to Ohio State and Duke. Outlets with sources close to Duke, however, primarily the 247 site, seen much less convinced of Duke’s interest. The Blue Devils don’t appear to have offered a scholarship, and Towns plays a position—wing—where Duke appears to have a glut of players heading into next season. Towns has also indicated he’ll make a decision soon. With Duke not having any spots available, pending NBA and transfer decisions, it appears it will take some time before the Blue Devils could add him to the roster.

Jordan Bruner, of Yale is a 6-foot-9, 205-pound small forward who was also a three-star recruit. He averaged 10.9 ppg, 9.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks last year.

Bruner scored 17 with 15 rebounds and four blocks against UNC last season and had 10 with 13 boards against Clemson.

Duke is one of 40 schools that have reached out since Bruner entered the portal. He’s also considering entering the NBA Draft early, although the uncertainty about the process due to the coronavirus-mandated shutdown of the league caused him to look at transfer options.

Bruner has more size and length than Towns and would be able to help out inside. He still plays at a crowded spot for Duke, however, although his timeline doesn’t seem to be as accelerated as Towns’.

At this point, it seems unlikely that either will end up on Duke’s roster, but the Blue Devils are considering all options in this uncertain offseason.