Duke basketball staff eyes elite point guard in transfer portal
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball has joined a pack of potential suitors for a top transfer.
Per a tweet on Tuesday from CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein, the Duke basketball coaches are now interested in former Kansas State star Nijel Pack. The 6-foot guard entered the transfer portal late last week and can play right away next season.
Rothstein noted that Pack has also heard from Arizona, Gonzaga, Marquette, Miami, NC State, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, and Xavier.
Pack, a former four-star recruit out of Lawrence Central (Ind.) who ranked No. 123 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite, earned First Team All-Big 12 honors last season as a sophomore despite Kansas State finishing No. 9 in the standings with a 6-12 conference record. He averaged a team-high 17.4 points to go along with 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals.
His specialty comes behind the arc, where he shot an impressive 43.6 percent with 7.5 attempts per game. However, although Pack typically held down the two-spot for the Wildcats, he told 247Sports that he is looking to grow as a point guard wherever he winds up next.
Now, keep in mind that Nijel Pack has entered his name in the 2022 NBA Draft but has until June 1 to withdraw it.
Uncertainty about the 2022-23 Duke basketball backcourt
The 2021-22 Duke team’s primary ballhandlers were junior Wendell Moore Jr., sophomore Jeremy Roach, and freshman Trevor Keels. While all three have plenty of eligibility remaining, there’s still no telling how many will return to Durham.
Keels and Moore appear on several 2022 mock drafts.
As for incoming recruits, the Blue Devils have signatures from at least two 2022 talents capable of handling the floor-general duties in spurts. They are four-star shooting guard Jaden Schutt and five-star small forward Dariq Whitehead.
Next. 3 Blue Devils who should cash in by sticking around. dark
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball news and views.