Duke basketball sophomore Kyle Filipowski showed that he is fully healthy.
The biggest topic of discussion in the offseason for the Duke basketball team was the health of sophomore forward Kyle Filipowski.
If you were unaware, the ACC Rookie of the Year underwent double arthroscopic hip surgery shortly after his freshman season and has been slowly working his way back to the court since April.
Filipowski was not on the floor during the team’s summer workouts as he continued with his rehab process but began to participate in non-contact drills with the team in the fall and was fully cleared for contact just prior to the start of official practice.
The 6-foot-11 forward discussed throughout the summer that the surgery would allow him to move without pain on the court and allow him to get in more athletic stances on defense — and maybe even give him a little more height on his vertical jump.
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While fans are still waiting to see the improvements defensively from the potential All-American, it did not take long for Filipowski to show off the athleticism.
During Duke’s Countdown to Craziness scrimmage on Friday night, Filipowski was left alone in the corner with no one guarding the paint and it was time to put an exclamation point on the evening as he took one dribble towards the baseline and flew through the air for an emphatic one-hand dunk that shocked Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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It left no doubt that Kyle Filipowski was healthy, more flexible, and athletic after the surgery and ready for the regular season to begin.
“I think when I realized how open I was, I was like, ‘I need to get one dunk here tonight, just to show everyone my legs were good,'” Filipowski said of his mindset before his dunk.
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“At first, I was thinking of the LeBron celebration, but obviously that’s a little too inappropriate, so I just was a little bit in shock and having some fun with the fans on the run back .”
Filipowski finished with five points, three rebounds, and three assists in the 16-minute scrimmage.
Duke will play an exhibition game on Wednesday, November 1 against UNC Pembrook before opening its season on Monday, November 6 against Dartmouth.