Duke basketball: Matthew Hurt confirms return for sophomore season

Duke basketball forward Matthew Hurt confirmed on Thursday afternoon that he will be returning to Durham for his sophomore season.

The speculation and rumors can stop as the news if officially official that Matthew Hurt will return to the Duke Blue Devils for his sophomore season.

Hurt announced the news via his Instagram on Thursday afternoon as many have hinted that the Minnesota native was trending towards remaining in Durham for at least one more season.

The biggest hint was dropped in a virtual press conference with Hurt’s fellow freshman Cassius Stanley as the Los Angeles native said that Hurt and Wendell Moore were primed for huge sophomore seasons.

In his first year as a Blue Devil, Hurt averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game on 48.7 percent shooting from the floor and 39.3 percent from 3-point range.

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Matthew Hurt was a projected lottery pick once he committed to Duke last spring, but an inconsistent freshman year, offensively and defensively, caused him to vanish from many two-round NBA mock drafts.

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The 6-foot-9 forward could be primed for a major jump in his second season, copying the development of players like Ryan Kelly and Kyle Singler, two Blue Devils legends who had very comparable skillsets to Hurt.

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As just one of four players (also Jordan Goldwire, Joey Baker, and Wendell Moore) returning from the 2019-20 Duke basketball team, a lot will be placed on the shoulders of Matthew Hurt, who has yet to play in a postseason game in his time in Durham.

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Duke loses Tre Jones, Vernon Carey Jr., and Stanley early for the NBA, while senior Javin DeLaurier, Jack White, and Justin Robinson have graduated as rising senior Alex O’Connell opted to transfer to Creighton after his junior season.

However, the Blue Devils will bring in another highly touted six-man recruiting class, not including 6-foot-10 Columbia graduate transfer Patrick Tape.

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If Matthew Hurt is able to live in the gym this offseason and greatly improve his game entering his sophomore season, it could be a memorable year for the Rochester, Minnesota native.