Patrick Tape Reportedly Decommits From Duke
Just over a week after committing to Duke, Columbia graduate transfer Patrick Tape has rethought his decision and informed Blue Devils coaches that he was decommitting, according to reports from 247Sports.
Tape (pronounced Tuh-Pay) sat out last season with Columbia and has a year of eligibility remaining. In his most recent year, 2018-19, Tape averaged 11.3 ppg, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, hitting two thirds of his shots from the field.
The 6-foot-10, 232-pounder would have been the second-biggest player on Duke’s roster next season, behind incoming freshman Mark Williams. That assumes that Vernon Carey, who won the national freshman of the year award this season, leaves for the NBA Draft, as expected. Carey still hasn’t made an announcement either way, but as a projected first-rounder, it would be a surprise if he didn’t leave for the pros.
Tape’s quick departure leaves the Blue Devils extremely thin in the post. Williams, a seven-footer, is the only true center currently projected to be on the roster. Fellow incoming freshman Henry Coleman, who is 6-foot-8 and sophomore Matthew Hurt at 6-foot-9 would be the next biggest Duke players.
Due to the restrictions on travel and closures related to the coronavirus outbreak, Tape committed to Duke without visiting or speaking to the coaching staff in person. It’s not clear what led to his change of heart. The Charlotte native was also considering Syracuse and Ohio State, among other schools.
There don’t appear to be many options for Duke to add size in the post, either in the transfer portal or in the pool of uncommitted 2020 recruits, at least none that the Blue Devils have been involved with to this point. Duke is expected to have plenty of talent at the wing positions and will likely shift to a more perimeter-oriented attack in 2020-21.
