Duke basketball: Senior class bids farewell to Blue Devils far too soon
The Duke basketball senior class gave its final farewell to the program as several players have posted season highlights to their social media pages.
Not in a million years would Duke basketball players Jack White, Javin DeLaurier, or Justin Robinson think March 7 against North Carolina would truly be their ‘Senior Night.’
Yes, it was the last game the trio would suit up in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but there was still the ACC and NCAA Tournaments to look forward to.
As the college basketball season was canceled due COVID-19, and rightly so, it’s still a very bitter ending to three Duke careers.
White and DeLaurier have been fixtures longer on the court than Robinson, but the pain of never wearing ‘Duke’ across their chests hurts the same.
The trio were two-time ACC Champions and came within five total points of reaching two Final Fours in 2018 and 2019.
All three players posted on Instagram with their 2019-20 season highlight videos and an inspirational message for the basketball program and university they love so dearly.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B947g7AHE3A/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Jack White played in 103 games in his Duke career, averaging just 2.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while DeLaurier suited up in 114 games and averaged 3.4 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Robinson was in Durham for five years, redshirting his freshman season, and the former walk-on saw action in 55 games, averaging 1.6 points per game but shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3-point range.
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There was speculation on if the NCAA would grant seniors in winter sports, like basketball, an extra year of eligibility, as it did so swiftly for spring sports, but CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported on Wednesday afternoon that is “unlikely.”
Sources: The NCAA is unlikely to grant an extra year of eligibility for student athletes who participated in winter sports and had their seasons cut short due to coronavirus.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 18, 2020
An extra year of eligibility is still in play for student athletes involved with spring sports.
The potential of bringing these seniors back put the NCAA in too dicey of a situation as some teams had already finished their seasons with no hope of a postseason berth, and the seniors did play an entire regular season, with some even playing in their conference tournaments.
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While this is truly the end for Justin Robinson, Jack White, and Javin DeLaurier, the latter two being the forgotten men in a stacked recruiting class with Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, Marques Bolden, and Frank Jackson, they were pillars for the success, stability, and leadership of the Blue Devil program.
Salute to these three men and best of luck in wherever life takes them after Duke.