The Blue Devils have added a player with experience on the biggest stage.
Former Purdue forward Mason Gillis, who played in the national championship for the Boilermakers last season, announced his commitment Monday afternoon to Duke via social media as a graduate transfer. Gillis did not start any games for Purdue last season, but he appeared in all 39 contests off the bench and shot 46.8% from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-6 forward often played alongside 2023-24 Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey in the frontcourt. He helped stretch the floor due to his shot-making ability, including a game against Penn State in the 2022-23 season in which he made nine 3-pointers.
Due to Purdue’s complex offensive system, Gillis saw a high volume of shot attempts off of catch-and-shoot opportunities and as a secondary option off the pick and roll with Edey. He was an 86% free-throw shooter last season for the Boilermakers, and his effective field-goal percentage of 65.5% was in the 95th percentile nationwide, per CBB Analytics.
Gillis is not quite the same force on the defensive end, as the New Castle, Ind., native averaged just 3.9 rebounds and a combined 0.2 blocks and steals per game. However, his offensive prowess allowed him to play significant minutes on one of the top teams in the country.
Across his career at Purdue, Gillis started 63 games and appeared in 132. The Boilermakers earned a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament each year he was there, and he played a key role in winning the 2023 Big 10 tournament.
Head coach Jon Scheyer chose Gillis to fill a gap in the frontcourt left by the departures of sophomore Mark Mitchell and freshmen TJ Power and Sean Stewart to the transfer portal, sophomore Kyle Filipowski to the NBA draft and graduate Ryan Young to graduation. With the addition of Maliq Brown Saturday, Gillis is the second forward Scheyer has brought, and as the roster currently stands, Gillis will bring more experience than any other rostered Blue Devil.
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Dom Fenoglio is a Trinity sophomore and a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.