Duke fans haven't had a lot to smile about this week in the aftermath of the epic collapse in Sunday's Elite Eight against UConn. With the Blue Devils' season coming to a shocking end, all you can do is flip the page toward the future.
Luckily for Duke fans, the McDonald's All-American Game gave an opportunity to put the loss to UConn in the rearview and to get a peek toward the future with 5-star commits Deron Rippey Jr. and Cameron Williams in action.
Both spoke to the media earlier in the week and had Duke fans excited about their mentalities coming into college, and Rippey doubled down on that during the broadcast of the game on Tuesday night.
When asked what Duke is going to get from him, Rippey started directly at the camera and delivered a message to the Blue Devils faithful:
"Duke is getting a dog. I just want everyone to know right now I'm a competitor. I'll do whatever it takes to win, whether it's defense, scoring, passing, whatever it is that coach needs, I'm gonna do it," Rippey said.
Deron Rippey Jr. describes himself as a 'dog' during McDonald's All-American Game
It isn't hard to see the vision with Rippey. The 5-star guard is explosive of the bounce, and he'll bring a dynamic to the Duke backcourt that hasn't been seen in quite some time, perhaps all the way back to Kyrie Irving.
He has an explosive first step and is a high-level athlete with the ability to attack the rim with reckless abandon.
Even with Duke potentially returning both Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer next season, there's going to be a big role for Rippey the moment he steps on campus. That's especially true if he backs up the big talk about the defensive end of the floor by actually giving that level of effort.