Duke basketball: Social media moves reveal transfer targets

Potential transfer target: Kale Catchings (Harvard)

The last of the three guys who caught the eye of Duke basketball on social media is Kale Catchings out of Harvard.

Catchings, a 6-foot-6 forward, is a graduate transfer who averaged 9.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game last season. He started in all 24 games he appeared in and shot 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Catchings’ biggest strength in his game lies within his strength and his basketball IQ. He is a very efficient shooter from the floor — shooting a combined 49.7 percent last season  — and his ability to make the right play or be in the right spot was apparent.

His strength and frame allowed him to be a stout defender for the Crimson and was also a big part of his averaging a steal per game.

While most Duke basketball fans will not be particularly intrigued by looking at his numbers, Catchings is the type of player whose value comes from things not included in the box score.

Much like Young, Catchings also possesses a unique connection to the Duke basketball program through his coach at Harvard, Tommy Amaker. Amaker, who played for the Blue Devils from 1983 to 1987 and then served as an assistant in Durham from 1988 to 1997, was a name heavily rumored to succeed Mike Krzyzewski before Scheyer was named the head coach.

That connection to Catchings could allow the Blue Devils to bring the graduate transfer in for added leadership and defense off the bench.

No matter how the chips fall, Scheyer and the rest of the staff seem committed to using the transfer portal to strengthen the bench, a spot that could use some help for next season.

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