Another Duke freshman is running it back.
ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Filipowski will return for a second season with the Blue Devils, he announced on social media Tuesday morning. The 7-footer led Duke in points, rebounds and steals as a freshman and provides a boost to head coach Jon Scheyer's second roster.
“When I committed here, I said I wanted to help continue the Duke legacy,” Filipowski said in his announcement. “I said I wanted to help Coach Scheyer build the foundation. I said I wanted to leave a legacy of my own. I meant what I said. Same dynasty, new legacy. I’m not done yet. See you next year.”
Shortly after Filipowski's announcement, five-star Duke commit Mackenzie Mgbako also announced Tuesday morning that he has requested a release from his National Letter of Intent and will re-open his recruitment.
The 7-footer was one of three centers — the others being Dereck Lively II and Christian Reeves — in Duke’s top-ranked freshman class. The fourth-ranked prospect in the nation, Filipowski entered the year with high expectations. With Lively out with a calf injury for the start of the season, the Wilbraham & Monson Academy product immediately stepped up. He began his collegiate career with three consecutive double-doubles and four straight ACC Rookie of the Week awards, totals that would grow to 16 and nine, respectively, by the end of the Blue Devils’ tournament run.
Filipowski started all 36 of Duke’s games, the only player to do so, providing a steady stream of offensive production for a team whose strength was its defense. Thirty-one double-digit performances and six 20-point games paced the Blue Devils through their win streaks and road woes, eventually helping lead them to a conference tournament championship — of which he was MVP — before they were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Filipowksi joins freshman teammates Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell in returning to the program after Dariq Whitehead, Lively and Jeremy Roach each declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. With an incoming class devoid of a center, Filipowski provides some much-needed size for head coach Jon Scheyer’s second roster.
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity junior and sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.