Five Duke basketball players likely to bolt after season
By Matt Giles
Current Duke basketball talent likely to leave come spring: Patrick Tapé
Seeing that Patrick Tapé has seen only 16 minutes of action to date this season, Duke basketball followers haven’t seen a complete picture of what all the 6-foot-9, 235-pound graduate transfer might have to offer. However, no offense to the Charlotte product, but there is little chance he is going to end up in the NBA. Not next year. Not the year after that.
From the limited tape available, it looks as if Tapé — already in his fifth year of college after sitting out all of last season while recovering from a foot injury — lacks a deep arsenal of post moves. Furthermore, despite a sturdy base and relatively quick feet for a guy his size, it looks as if he is without the necessary hops, hands, and instincts to dominate in the paint.
No worries, for with a degree in urban studies from Columbia and post-grad credits in management studies from Duke, there’s no chance the 22-year-old will need to rely on earnings from a professional hoops career. On that note, perhaps the only hope of Tapé still being in Durham next season is if he is addicted to stockpiling impressive academic accolades.