Duke Basketball: Allure of Transfer Portal Grabs Blue Devil Captain

Duke basketball has now lost five players to the transfer portal this offseason.

Matt Giles | Apr 16, 2024

Duke basketball guard Jeremy Roach and head coach Jon Scheyer / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Following four memorable campaigns as a fixture in the Duke basketball backcourt, senior starter and two-time captain Jeremy Roach has decided to test the NBA waters while maintaining his college eligibility. But the 22-year-old, a former five-star recruit out of what is now a Blue Devil pipeline school at Paul VI Catholic (Va.), made it clear in his announcement on Tuesday night that he won't return to Durham next season.

Roach, who will appear in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, has one year of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA not counting the truncated 2020-21 season, his freshman year, against anyone's eligibility.

Jeremy Roach to the transfer portal pic.twitter.com/CP0ghsLd81
— Duke Update (@UpdateDuke) April 17, 2024

Despite his celebrated Duke career, which included his clutch postseason playmaking and buckets as a sophomore in helping guide Mike Krzyzewski's final squad to the 2022 Final Four, most mock drafts don't list Roach in either round.

As the senior leader of head coach Jon Scheyer's second batch of Blue Devils this past season, Jeremy Roach averaged career-highs with his 14.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He also shot a career-best 42.9 percent from downtown.

Four other 2023-24 Duke basketball players have entered the transfer portal this go-round in junior Jaylen Blakes and sophomores Mark Mitchell, Jaden Schutt, and Christian Reeves. None have revealed their next destination.

For now, Jon Scheyer and his gang have 10 scholarship talents on tap for the 2024-25 season.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball news.

Published Apr 16, 2024

MATT GILES