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Duke Basketball: R.J. Barrett is Ready for his Duke Debut

By Kevin Connelly

SPRINGFIELD, MA - JANUARY 15: R.J. Barrett #5 of Montverde Academy goes up for a layup in a game against Mater Dei High School during the 2018 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena at Springfield College on January 15, 2018 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
SPRINGFIELD, MA - JANUARY 15: R.J. Barrett #5 of Montverde Academy goes up for a layup in a game against Mater Dei High School during the 2018 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena at Springfield College on January 15, 2018 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Basketball Canadian Tour gets underway on Wednesday and prized freshman and Canadian star, R.J. Barrett is set to introduce himself to the college basketball world in front of his hometown fans.

R.J. Barrett is ready to introduce himself to the college basketball world, but the Canada native is no stranger to the spotlight.

If leading his high school team, Montverde, to a perfect season culminating in a National Championship, becoming the future of Canadian Basketball, and being the top ESPN High School prospect wasn’t enough pressure, R.J. Barrett is now ready to lead the Duke Basketball team into his home country for three exhibition games.

Barrett should be one of the best players on yet another Duke team that is full of star freshman, but if his past tells us anything, Barrett will be up for the challenge.

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In leading up to his top ranking in all of the high school basketball player rankings, Barrett was putting on a show on the hardwood from the time he picked up a basketball.

The Canadian star bursted onto the basketball scene in 2015 at the FIBA Americas U16 Championships where he averaged 14.6 points per game as Team Canada captured a silver medal.

The next year Barrett took his game to another level at the 2016 U17 FIBA World Championships as R.J. Barrett posted 18.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for Team Canada, despite a fifth place finish in the tournament.

As a junior in high school, Barrett was invited to the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic International Game and he just continued to impress as he scored 22 points and eight assists as well as taking home the MVP Award for that game.

In the summer of 2017, Barrett opened even more eyes throughout one of the most competitive AAU tournaments in the country at the Nike EYBL circuit for UPlay Canada.. Barrett averaged 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists and began to cement himself as one of the top players in his class.

If there was one game that you had to point to which was Barrett’s coming out party it was at the FIBA U19 Men’s Basketball World Cup where R.J. scored 38 points, pulled down 18 rebounds, and five assists in Team Canada’s win over the United States of America 99-87.

In that tournament, Barrett averaged 21.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists as Canada went on to win the gold medal.

In his senior season at Montverde, Barrett averaged 28.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game as he was named the 2017-18 National Gatorade Player of the Year.

For his outstanding achievements, Barrett was named as a McDonald’s All-American, as well as being ranked the No. 1 High School Basketball Player by ESPN, 24/7 Sports, Scout.com, and Rivals.com.

Barrett was also named as the MVP of the 2018 Nike Hoops Summit as he lead Team World to a win over Team USA with 20 points and nine rebounds.

R.J. Barrett was promoted to the Team Canada National Team this summer and played and excelled in the few games he played with then in anticipation for his year at Duke and as he will become the face of Canadian Basketball.

Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that,“it helps immensely. Any time you can spend playing with Jay Triano as your coach, you’re going to be better as a person and as a player,” when he was asked about Barrett’s experience with the Canadian National Team during his Pre-Canada Press Conference by the assembled media.

Now as Barrett begins what looks like will his only year at Duke, he has new goals as he embarks on his collegiate career in front of his hometown fans in Toronto, and he is very excited about it.

“It’s really exciting. It’s going to be a lot of fun, I get to go home and play in front of all my family and friends with my brothers. So I would say it’s going to be a great experience,” Barrett told the assembled media before the Blue Devils departed for Canada.

As the anticipation grows to see Barrett on the floor in a Duke Basketball jersey, fans must keep in mind that these three games are only exhibition games and that the team will be working out the kinks of playing with each other for the first time.

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