Duke Basketball Alum Still Shooting Lights Out Overseas

Former two-year Duke basketball forward Matt Hurt is in his first season in Italy.

Jan 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Matt Hurt (21) warms up before playing the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Despite being a hot commodity as a free agent in Australia's National Basketball League back in July, Duke basketball product and fifth-year pro Matt Hurt ultimately decided to take his sharpshooting to the Trapani Shark in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A, the country's top-tier professional league.

Mar 10, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Matthew Hurt (21) runs the offense against Louisville Cardinals guard David Johnson (13) during the second half in the second round of the 2021 ACC tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. The Duke Blue Devils won 70-56. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-Imagn Images | Nell Redmond-Imagn Images

How Hurt's Performing

The 25-year-old forward from Minnesota isn't leading Trapani in scoring, as he did for the South East Melbourne Phoenix last season at 20.1 points per game.

But Hurt, averaging only 7.8 points for the Shark, yet with his playing time almost cut in half from last season, has improved on his efficiency as a 3-point marksman, shooting 39.1 percent from deep after knocking down only 30.5 percent of his attempts beyond the arc for the Phoenix.

Hurt's most prolific outing this season came earlier this month in a 77-75 home win over the Germani Basket Brescia. In that bout, he fully displayed his undeniable potential to shine in the league when given enough minutes to do so, tallying 23 points, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks while shooting 9-for-11 from the field, 4-for-5 from three, and 1-for-2 at the foul line across his 26 minutes on the floor.

That effort drew the following highlight reel courtesy of the official Lega Basket Serie A social media team:

@IBSAItalia Top Performance: 23 punti con 4/5 da 3 per Matthew Hurt che, con 26 di valutazione, regala la vittoria a Trapani contro Brescia 🔥#TuttoUnAltroSport pic.twitter.com/lhTpcvvaWw

— Lega Basket Serie A (@LegaBasketA) November 3, 2025

As the reigning ACC Most Improved Player and an All-ACC First Team performer in 2021, the Duke basketball sophomore declared for the NBA Draft but didn't come off the board. Hurt then spent three years in the G League, where he improved to the tune of eventually seeing action in eight games for the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies while on 10-day contracts with the NBA franchise.

As a second-year Blue Devil playing for five-time national champion Mike Krzyzewski, Hurt almost doubled his scoring average from his freshman campaign, jumping from 9.7 to 18.3 points per game. He shot an impressive 44.4 percent from downtown that year as a high-volume 3-point threat, albeit for a Duke basketball squad that finished a subpar 13-11 overall and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Matt Hurt and the Trapani Shark now boast an 8-1 overall record and are riding a five-game winning streak as they look ahead to their next outing, a home game against the Universo Treviso Basket (1-8) on Dec. 7.

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more updates on former Duke basketball players in the professional ranks and other Blue Devil news.

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