Duke transfer Mason Gillis explains why he picked the Blue Devils in new podcast clip

Gillis, who spent four years with Purdue and won Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year last season, said the Blue Devils were always a dream destination.

It was always the Blue Devils for Purdue transfer Mason Gillis.

Gillis appeared in an episode of The Brotherhood Podcast on Tuesday, talking to Caleb Foster about his experience picking Duke and finding a new school through the transfer portal. From Gillis’s words, it sounds like the Blue Devils were always the leaders in the clubhouse for him.

“Talking to my inner circle, I always had to tell everybody ‘I’m biased toward Duke, it’s been my dream to come to Duke, I need you to tell me why I maybe shouldn’t go there,'” Gillis told new teammate Caleb Foster. “And, after each conversation, everybody was like, ‘Mason, you’ve got to go to Duke.'”

Gillis said the people in Duke’s program also drew him toward Durham, saying how he values unselfish teammates who can enjoy the success of those around them.

“We have to be able to push each other toward our individual goals and help each other reach them and be happy,” Gillis said to Foster. “Say I don’t reach a goal and you reach a goal, I’ve got to be happy for you. And I would expect it vice versa.”

Gillis, the 2023-24 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while making 46.8% of his 3-point attempts. He played for the Boilermakers for four seasons, and he’s got 132 games and 63 starts on his college resume.

Duke fans should expect him to contend for a starting role with the Blue Devils and will at worst come off the bench as a sixth man again next season.