Duke’s Kyle Filipowski Announces Return for Sophomore Year

The Blue Devils star’s announcement is a shocker.

Duke star forward Kyle Filipowski will forgo the NBA draft and return to school for his sophomore season, he announced on his personal Twitter account on Tuesday morning.

“Being at Duke this past year has been such a blessing,” Filipowski said. “This team, this place, the [Cameron] Crazies, have been incredible. And I know you’re wondering what comes next. When I committed here, I said I wanted to help continue the Duke legacy. 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.”

Respect my decision‼️ pic.twitter.com/qFxB7PefDI

— Kyle “Flip” Filipowski (@kylefilipowski) April 11, 2023

The return of Filipowski is a shocker, as it was widely expected that the rising sophomore would enter the NBA draft as a projected first round selection. Instead, the ACC Freshman of the Year and honorable mention AP All-American will return to bolster Duke’s chances of making a run at a national title in year two under Jon Scheyer.

Filipowski led the Blue Devils in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. He also led the team in rebounding (8.9 per game) and steals (1.3 per game) and had 16 double-doubles.

Filipowski’s return is crucial for a Duke frontcourt that is losing Dereck Lively to the NBA. Filipowski is the third key member of the rotation to announce his return for next season, joining Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell.