Patrick Tape reverses course in stunning recommitment to Duke basketball

Sunday night brought more fireworks to the Duke basketball program as Patrick Tape recommitted to the Blue Devils after decommitting just days ago.

In the words of the famous Steve Carrell as Michael Scott in The Office, “Snip-snap-snip-snap-snip-snap”.

Patrick Tape is (shockingly) a Duke Blue Devil once again.

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The bizarre move comes just days after it was reported that the 6-foot-10 graduate transfer from Columbia would be decommitting from the Blue Devils, and all signs had pointed to Tape being flipped by Syracuse.

Evan Daniels of 247 Sports first reported that Tape would be headed back to Durham after needing some time to clear his head.

Daniels says that Tape was heavily considering Syracuse and Georgetown before realizing Duke was the place for him.

Patrick Tape committed to Duke on March 24, before decommitting on April 2, and then recommitting on April 5.

Tape did not play during the 2019-20 season due to a toe injury, but in his final season at Columbia, he played in 27 games, starting 21, and averaged 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

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Upon his decommitment from the Blue Devils, many Duke fans thought it was a sign that freshman Vernon Carey Jr. would be returning to the program, despite the notion that he is expected to enter the 2020 NBA Draft.

Duke is still waiting on official word from Carey Jr. along with his fellow freshmen Cassius Stanley and Matthew Hurt on their future plans.

Tape will bring a much-needed veteran presence inside as the Blue Devils will bring in a talented, yet raw, group of frontcourt players in a freshman class made up of Mark Williams, Henry Coleman, and Jaemyn Brakefield.

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Duke also will bring in Jalen Johnson, the No. 11 player in the 247 Sports Composite Rankings, who could play power forward in a small-ball lineup that the Blue Devils will likely be incorporating often in 2020-21.

With Patrick Tape back in the fold, Duke has only two open scholarship spots for the upcoming season, although it is possible Mike Krzyzewski could pull walk-on Mike Buckmire off scholarship, however that is an extremely unlikely proposition.

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