Tag: Tyrese Proctor

Cooper Flagg and Tyrese Proctor connect for alley-oop in Duke basketball game vs Army

Tyrese Proctor found star freshman Cooper Flagg on an alley-oop during Duke’s Friday night victory over the Army Black Knights.

Two Duke basketball games, two highlight-worthy dunks from star freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].

After scoring 18 points in his first career game against Maine on Monday night, Flagg helped open up Friday’s game against the Army Black Knights with an alley-oop dunk from junior Tyrese Proctor.

Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown played a quiet role in the big play, as he often seems to. The new Blue Devil harassed Army forward AJ Allenspach in press defense up the court before forcing an errant pass. Sion James, another transfer from Tulane, grabbed the loose ball and flung it forward to Proctor, who quickly lofted it up in the air toward Flagg.

The first-year forward grabbed the ball with both hands and thumped it home through the rim, adding two points to the board in the opening minutes.

During the opening game on Monday, Flagg raced around the Black Bears’ defense and threw down a one-handed breakaway dunk to announce his presence in college basketball.

Duke basketball among the nation’s ‘good teams’ in 2024-25, Andy Katz says

College basketball analyst Andy Katz doesn’t think there’s “a great team” in 2024-25, but he thinks the Blue Devils are among the best.

The Duke Blue Devils defeated the Maine Black Bears by 34 points in their 2024-25 season opener, and college basketball analyst Andy Katz thinks there’s more to come for head coach Jon Scheyer and his team.

“I don’t think there is a great team this season,” Katz said on Monday night. “There’s a lot of good teams, and Duke is one of them.”

Five-star freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and [autotag]Kon Knueppel[/autotag] stole the show on opening day, combining for 40 points thanks to three Knueppel 3-pointers and an electrifying one-handed Flagg dunk. Katz wanted to zero in on the two returning starters, however: Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster.

“If they can play above their age, if you will, and are calming for the rest of this group, then they’ve got a real shot (at a national championship),” Katz concluded.

Proctor finished the first game of his junior season with 10 points after making three of his five 3-point attempts. Foster scored 11 points and tacked on three assists, tied for the third-most on the team in both categories.

Cooper Flagg ranked as the best men’s college basketball player by ESPN

Four Duke Blue Devils were included among ESPN’s preseason top 100 men’s college basketball players, including one at the very top spot.

ESPN released its preseason ranking of the top 100 men’s college basketball players on Monday, and four Duke Blue Devils made the list.

Returning starter Tyrese Proctor, who led the Blue Devils with 3.7 assists per game in 2023-24, appeared at 66th ahead of five-star freshmen Khaman Maluach (81st) and Kon Knueppel (97th), but another Duke basketball star finished much higher on the list.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top prospect in the freshman class, beat out North Carolina Tar Heels star RJ Davis for the No. 1 overall spot.

“There’s a world in which Flagg lives up to all the hype and produces a Carmelo Anthony-esque run, leading Duke to a national championship,” Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf wrote when explaining why Flagg got the top spot. “It’s within his range of outcomes. There’s nobody else in the country with that sort of ceiling.”

Flagg, who makes his regular-season debut on Monday night against Maine, averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in his two preseason exhibitions.

Tyrese Proctor: ‘I don’t think basketball is all about scoring, I’m just out there trying to make winning plays’

Tyrese Proctor, currently ranked No. 28 on ESPN’s Top 100 and No. 30 on HoopsHype’s latest Aggregate Mock Draft, has rapidly established himself as one of the best lead guards in college basketball. The Australia native is known for his playmaking, …

Tyrese Proctor, currently ranked No. 28 on ESPN’s Top 100 and No. 30 on HoopsHype’s latest Aggregate Mock Draft, has rapidly established himself as one of the best lead guards in college basketball. The Australia native is known for his playmaking, defense, and leadership on the court.

Proctor’s sophomore campaign saw him named a team captain, only the fourth sophomore to achieve this in Duke’s history. His 2.95 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked 25th nationally, showcasing his ability to control the game while minimizing mistakes. He averaged 10.5 points per game and led his team in assists, asserting his role as the lead guard for the Blue Devils, who at times ran a three-guard lineup last year.

Recently, Proctor spoke with with HoopsHype to reflect on his basketball journey, his time in Australia’s NBA Global Academy, his thoughts on the modern game, his college basketball experience and more.

Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor name their all-time Duke basketball starting five

Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor, the two returning Duke basketball starters, named their all-time Blue Devils starting five on Wednesday.

When a basketball program has as many legends as the Duke Blue Devils, it’s incredibly fun to debate which five players would create the best starting lineup.

On Wednesday, returning starters Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor became the latest players to build their all-time Blue Devils lineup.

Proctor went first and named Kyrie Irving, JJ Redick, Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, and Christian Laettner as his team.

Laettner, of course, helped Duke win consecutive national championships in 1991 and 1992, and he’s still the school’s all-time leading scorer in the NCAA Tournament. Irving, the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and returned to the Finals with the Dallas Mavericks this past season, where he lost to Tatum and the Boston Celtics.

Tatum, who made his third straight First Team All-NBA squad, also made program history as the first Duke men’s basketball alum to win multiple Olympic gold medals in Paris this summer.

Foster also included Irving and Williamson in his starting five, but he added Jason Williams and Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero to his lineup. The most recent of five No. 1 NBA draft picks in school history, Banchero led the Magic to the playoffs this past season.

Foster also earned some potential points with the Duke staff when he included head coach Jon Scheyer, who won a national championship with the Blue Devils as a player in 2010, on his team.

Top-ranked freshman Cooper Flagg answered the same question on The Brotherhood Podcast this summer, and he went with the same lineup that Proctor rolled out.

Tyrese Proctor says the Blue Devils ‘hear the narrative every year’ that Duke isn’t tough

When asked about how Duke responded to questions about its toughness last season, Tyrese Proctor said the Blue Devils always hear that.

Going into last season’s Sweet 16 matchup against top-seeded Houston, analysts and fans around the country questioned whether the Duke Blue Devils could physically and emotionally handle a game against the tough Cougars team.

Forty minutes later, head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] and his team left the American Airlines Center in Dallas with a 54-51 victory and a ticket to the Elite Eight.

During junior [autotag]Tyrese Proctor[/autotag]’s Wednesday press conference at ACC Tipoff, the Australian was asked about those questions and how the Blue Devils proved them wrong against Houston. The third-year starter didn’t sound particularly phased.

“We hear the narrative every year since I’ve been here that we’re not tough,” Proctor said. “I’ve individually had conversations with guys, and as a team, we’ve had conversations just making sure we’re always together no matter what the situation is, all the expectations that come with being at Duke…I think it’s important we just stay together within our locker room.”

While the players dismissed the noise as simply that, Scheyer took plenty of time to defend his roster after that statement win over Houston.

“Try being at Duke as a freshman and sophomore and battling your ass off in the tournament and then talk to me about being tough,” Scheyer said back in March. “For me, these guys have shown every step of the way how tough they are mentally, physically.”

On Wednesday, Proctor made it clear that he appreciates playing for a coach willing to go to bat for him in big moments.

“I mean, that’s what you want, I have full trust in Coach and Coach has full trust in me,” Proctor said. “He’s going to be honest with you.”

What does Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer want to see from Tyrese Proctor in 2024-25?

During his Wednesday press conference at the ACC Tipoff, Jon Scheyer talked about what he wants to see from Tyrese Proctor this season.

Most college basketball coaches, when preseason media availabilities come around, only want to talk about how great their roster is. The practice is entirely understandable, it projects confidence while keeping strategy close to the vest, but few coaches operate with the talent that Duke basketball coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] has in Durham.

During his Wednesday press conference, the third-year Blue Devils coach talked about how impressed he’s been with returning starter [autotag]Tyrese Proctor[/autotag]’s development, but he also broke down what he wants to see from the junior in 2024-25.

“He’s shown flashes of being as good of a perimeter defender as there is in the country,” Scheyer said. “My challenge for him is to do it every game all the time.”

If fans want evidence of that defensive ceiling Scheyer mentioned, look no further than North Carolina star RJ Davis. The All-American put up 21.2 points per game and shot 42.8% last season, but in two games against the Blue Devils, he made 34.6% of his shots and averaged 13.0 points.

The junior admitted himself that he wasn’t always a diligent defender before college, but he said the team’s defensive mindset relies upon the pride of not getting beaten on the other end.

“If you don’t let the other team score, it’s going to be hard for them to win a game,” Proctor said. “It’s a personal battle every game and just not wanting my man to score the ball.”

On the other side of the ball, Proctor led the Blue Devils with 3.7 assists per game last season, and despite this being his third season with the program, he won’t turn 21 until April 1. Scheyer praised how much Proctor has matured since 2022, but he thinks there’s an extra offensive gear locked inside the Australian.

“We’ve asked him to do so much for us when his scoring and shooting can take a back seat at times,” Scheyer said. “I want him to not pass up any shots, if he’s got open threes, to take them. His shooting is a big-time weapon.”

As a sophomore in 2023-24, Proctor shot 42.3% from the floor and 35.2% from 3-point range. His consistency wavered from game to game, including a four-game stretch in early February when he made just 30.8% of his shots from the floor and 20% from behind the arc, but he followed that with a six-game stretch of 50.9% from the floor and 40.5% from 3-point range to end the regular season.

Proctor closed the year averaging 10.5 points per game, one of five Blue Devils in double-digits, but with more mouths to feed than ever as a distributor, he could facilitate one of the best offenses in the country.

He’ll get to show Scheyer some of the things he asked for when his third season kicks off on November 4 against Maine.

Tyrese Proctor talks about the impact of Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach

“Even if he’s just there, he’s in the back of your mind,” Duke basketball teammates said of Khaman Maluach’s defensive presence.

It’s hard to believe about a five-star prospect who represented his country in the Olympic Games at just 17 years old, but Duke basketball freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] might not be getting talked about enough before the 2024-25 season.

New teammate Tyrese Proctor certainly thinks so, and in a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, the junior said he thinks Maluach can surprise some fans just by how his defensive presence affects other teams.

“People understand how good Man Man is,” Proctor said. “But I don’t think they understand the impact he has on the team. He’s really just, like, a protector.”

“Even if he’s just there, he’s in the back of your mind.”

Maluach, the tallest player on the roster, is listed at 7-foot-2. He’s already put together some impressive highlights in Basketball Africa League games, showcasing his shot-blocking ability but also teasing some perimeter shooting. He spent the summer in Paris representing South Sudan, and he and his teammates picked up the country’s first-ever Olympic win during pool play.

 

Cooper Flagg’s experience and exposure could help fellow freshmen, Duke teammates say

Tyrese Proctor thinks the exposure of top-ranked freshman Cooper Flagg as a recruit can help his teammates adjust to Duke expectations.

Few high school basketball recruits have ever existed in the center of attention quite like [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].

The top-ranked Class of 2024 prospect led Montverde Academy to an undefeated season as a senior, scrimmaged against Team USA at Olympic training camp, and signed a deal with New Balance all before he played a game with the Blue Devils.

During a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, Flagg’s new teammate Tyrese Proctor said he thinks that the amount of scrutiny and attention Flagg has learned to deal with can help his fellow freshmen.

“Coop’s already been in such a high caliber and class coming into college,” Proctor said. “Like, yeah, there’s a lot of expectation, but he works just as hard as anyone else does.”

Caleb Foster, another returning starter, made a point earlier in the show about how the Duke basketball spotlight heightens both positive and negative reactions, and Proctor said Flagg could help make that exact phenomenon somewhat easier.

“I feel like his experience just coming out of high school, being that guy in a sense, is going to help so many of the freshmen as well,” Proctor added.

Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor say Duke basketball will play fast in 2024-25

“We’ve just been running,” Duke basketball’s Caleb Foster said on The Brotherhood Podcast this week, preparing fans for a more up-tempo team.

It makes sense that a basketball team that lost 10 players this offseason won’t look the same on the court, but returning Duke starters [autotag]Tyrese Proctor[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Foster[/autotag] have still noticed some key differences during early workouts.

According to a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, the two Blue Devils think this year’s tempo will look completely different from the 2023-24 team.

“We’re going to be playing fast, bro,” Proctor told his teammate.

“In practice, we’ve just been running,” Foster responded. “We learned how to play fast, get up and down the court, and one big thing for me is I feel like we’re just picking up things a lot quicker.”

Duke ran one of the most efficient offenses in the nation last year, finishing eighth in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric, but the Blue Devils finished outside of the top 250 in the site’s adjusted tempo rankings. With every player on the roster standing at least 6-foot-5 and the athleticism that freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and others bring to the table, additional speed will obviously play into Duke’s hands.

The Blue Devils make their on-court debut at the Countdown to Craziness on October 4.