This past Wednesday, Jaemyn Brakefield became the first Blue Devil to enter the transfer portal after spending one season in Durham.
On Saturday, another, more experienced Blue Devil joined him.
Senior guard Jordan Goldwire will not use his final season of eligibility—granted to him by the NCAA's extra eligibility ruling this past winter—to return to Duke and will instead enter the transfer portal, per a team release Saturday afternoon.
"I want to thank Coach K, the coaching staff and administration for helping me grow, mature and become a better player these last four years and giving me an opportunity to play for one of the greatest programs," Goldwire said in the release. "In talking with my family and the coaching staff, I have made the decision to enter my name in the portal as a grad transfer and take advantage of my fifth year. My time at Duke has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I want to thank the Duke family, fans, Cameron Crazies and my teammates for making it so special."
The Fayetteville Observer's David Thompson was the first to report the news just prior to the release.
Goldwire came to Durham as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2017 and took a few years to start garnering serious playing time as a Blue Devil. The Georgia native averaged a mere 6.5 and 8.6 minutes per game in 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively, though he did play a major role in the team's memorable comeback at Louisville in Feb. 2019.
Over the next two seasons, Goldwire assumed a much larger role within Duke's rotation. He started 15 of the team's 31 games games in 2019-20, averaging 24.1 minutes, 4.7 and 2.3 assists per game.
This past season, he started 12 of the Blue Devils' 24 contests, averaging 28.5 minutes, 5.8 points and 4.0 assists per game, while also placing second in the ACC with 2.32 steals per contest en route to conference All-Defensive Team honors. Goldwire also led the ACC with a 2.76 assist-to-turnover ratio.
"Duke fans owe Jordan a tremendous amount of respect for being such a first-class player, leader and teammate during his four years in our program," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Jordan always embraced his role, and his improvement over the course of his career is a testament to his mentality and competitive spirit. He was outstanding to coach and we wish him all of the best. It was an honor to have Jordan and his family as a part of Duke Basketball and we will miss them."
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