Duke basketball makes needed adjustment to recruiting class

The Duke basketball program made a necessary addition to its roster after a tough loss. 

Trevor Keels officially left the Duke basketball program for the NBA Draft on Wednesday night and conversation about his replacement was already raging in Durham.

Keels, a fringe first round draft pick, opted to chase his dream of reaching the NBA rather than spend another season in college but it seems like Duke was destined to lose a player due to his decision.

The freshman guard became the fifth player to leave the Blue Devils for the NBA this offseason; Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, AJ Griffin, Wendell Moore, and Keels.

However, Jon Scheyer went to his 2023 recruiting class to try and find a replacement the All-ACC Freshman in Tyrese Proctor.

Proctor committed to Duke on April 7 but questions arose about his future with the team, whether he would reclassify or even become a Blue Devil, as he is eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft as a member of the NBA Global Academy.

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“We have had extensive talks with Tyrese [Proctor] and his family over the last few weeks and we are thrilled to be welcoming him on the 2022-23 team,” head coach Jon Scheyer said in a press release.

Proctor was a five-star recruit and the No. 17 player in the country in the 2023 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

“Tyrese [Proctor] has a special feel for the game with great scoring instincts who will add to the versatility, competitiveness, and high character of this team,” Scheyer added.

Duke is still in the market for another transfer guard but Proctor could be the starting shooting guard for the Blue Devils this season on another very young and inexperienced roster.

Newest Blue Devil fits Duke basketball need perfectly

Many were hoping that Trevor Keels would return to Durham to bring experience and shooting to this Duke team but Tyrese Proctor might be a better shooter than the future pro.

Proctor made 37.0-percent of his attempts from 3-point range in eight games with the New South Wales U20 team in 2022, and 43.8% from beyond the arc in nine games with the NBA Global Academy in 2021.

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“I’m ready to step up and face a new challenge where I maximize my development as a player and continue to grow on and off the court,” the electric guard from Australia said.

“Waiting a year to put on that Duke jersey was too long.”

Tyrese Proctor becomes the seventh player, and fifth five-star recruit, in the first recruiting class under Jon Scheyer, joining Dereck Lively, Kyle Filipowski, Dariq Whitehead, Mark Mitchell, Jaden Schutt, and Christian Reeves.