Duke returns top four scorers for first time in decades

Originally posted on FanNation Blue Devil Country
By Matt Giles | Last updated 5/15/23

Jeremy Roach's announced return on Monday morning sets the stage for a level of continuity that Duke basketball fans have not witnessed in quite some time.

For starters, note that Roach's 75 starts as a Blue Devil mark the most for any returning Duke basketball player since Kyle Singler 13 years ago.

And, of course, he's not the only returning starter for Jon Scheyer's second year at the helm. No, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Filipowski will all be in Durham for sophomore campaigns after being full-time starters as freshmen last season.

It'll be the first time the program has seen the return of four full-time starters since the 2008-09 season.

Moreover, Filipowski, Roach, Proctor, and Mitchell were Duke's top four scorers last season. So it'll be the first time that the top four scorers from a squad have all returned to Durham since Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, David Henderson, and Jay Bilas did so as seniors for the 1985-86 campaign.

Those 1985-86 Blue Devils, who also returned their fifth-leading scorer from the previous season in Tommy Amaker, went on to post a 37-3 overall record (tied with the 1998-99 squad for the most wins in Duke basketball history) and reach the national championship game.

All but two 2022-23 Blue Devils with remaining eligibility will be on the 2023-24 roster. The two early departees are NBA-bound one-and-done talents Dariq Whitehead and 2022-23 starter Dereck Lively II.

And on that note, Duke basketball is the only high-major program in the country not to lose a single scholarship player to the transfer portal this year.

Furthermore, Scheyer and his crew reeled in four five-star 2023 recruits.

This article first appeared on FanNation Blue Devil Country and was syndicated with permission.

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