DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – One of the star freshmen for the Duke Blue Devils is departing after just one season with the men’s basketball program.
On Friday, Duke guard Jared McCain revealed his intentions to forgo the remainder of his college career and declare for the 2024 NBA Draft. He announced his decision through a video posted on social media.
“Even only being here for one year, I got to see the impact and the power in the Brotherhood, and that’s what made this decision extremely hard,” McCain said. “But I’ve always been a dream chaser. I’ve always been one to reach my goals and that next one is the NBA. With that being said, I will be entering my name into the 2024 NBA Draft.”
“I’m blessed to be a part of the Brotherhood, and I’ll be a Blue Devil for life,” he added.
McCain left a significant influence on the Blue Devils in his lone season in Durham, scoring 14.3 points per game. Widely known for his reputation as a lethal shooter, the 6-foot-3 guard knocked down 41.4% of his shots from behind the three-point line and shot a team-best 88.5% from the free-throw line.
He was an essential piece for a Duke team that advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 21 points over four games while reaching the 30-point mark twice.
This announcement comes on the same day when fellow teammate Kyle Filipowski also made the turn decision to turn pro.
In the video, McCain went into depth expressing his thanks to his family, coaches, teammates as well as the Duke fandom.
“Today I’m feeling such gratitude and appreciation for my life, for everything that’s been brought to me this year,” he said. “Words cannot describe the gratitude that I have for Coach Scheyer. He believed in me when I felt like he could’ve given up on me and not given me a chance as a freshman. So I’m forever grateful for the opportunity that he gave me.”
“I want to thank the Cameron Crazies,” McCain added. “Just the fans and supporters for always just believing in me and trusting what I could do on the court. It’s been the best year of my life to play in Cameron Indoor, to play for Duke, to put on that jersey. There’s no other feeling like it.”
McCain is projected as a likely first-round pick in the NBA Draft in June.