Former Purdue Star Mason Gillis Announces Transfer to Duke
Former Purdue star Mason Gillis has announced that he will use his final season of eligibility at Duke. The 2024 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year made the announcement official via his Instagram page.
Gillis posted a photo in a Duke uniform with the caption, "Next chapter." The forward spent five seasons at Purdue and helped guide the Boilermakers to an appearance in the national championship this past season.
Gillis utilized a redshirt season during the 2019-20 campaign while with the Boilermakers. Although he was with the program for five seasons, he can still use the NCAA's Covid-19 waiver for one additional year of eligibility.
Last week, Gillis confirmed his plans to test the NBA Draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility. Because of Purdue's scholarship limit, Gillis' only option was to transfer to use his final year of eligibility.
"There are so many words to say thank you and yet none of them seem adequate to express my gratitude to all of the people and experienced I have encountered during my time as a Boilermaker," Gillis wrote.
"Our ultimate goal was to make an impact on the program and the university. I feel that with the special teams I was on, we achieved the ultimate goal. I would not be the person I am today without the privilege to attend and represent Purdue University.
"I will always be a Boilermaker, and nothing will ever match my time at Purdue. Moving forward I will leave my eligibility open for college recruiting to continue my growth and development while pursuing my dreams of playing professional basketball. Boiler Up."
Gillis will join a Duke team that finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 27-9 record and was second in the ACC standings. The Blue Devils reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to conference and in-state rival North Carolina State 76-64.
Purdue defeated North Carolina State in the Final Four to advance to the national championship. The Boilermakers fell 75-60 to UConn.
Gillis was a prominent player for the Boilermakers, especially over the last two seasons. He led the program to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles in 2023 and 2024. Purdue also claimed a Big Ten Tournament title in 2023 and reached the Final Four this past season.
For the year, Gillis averaged 6.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game for the Boilermakers. He appeared in all 39 games at Purdue and logged 21.2 minutes per contest. The senior also shot the 3-point shot extremely well, knocking down the long ball at a 46.8% clip.
Gillis was named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year for his spectacular season.
During his career with the Boilermakers, Gillis started in 63 games and appeared in 132 total contests. He averaged 6.3 points, 4.2 assists and 1.4 assists per game for his career.
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