The first major commitment for Jon Scheyer, Duke basketball’s coach-in-waiting set to replace Mike Krzyzewski, is Kyle Filipowski.
Jeff Borzello and Adam Finkelstein of ESPN were the first to report the news. Filipowski is from New York, but he plays his prep basketball for Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Massachusetts).
Filipowski is a 6-foot-11, 230-pound stretch big man. ESPN ranks him as a top-20 prospect in the class of 2022. The 247 Sports composite ranking slots Filipowski as the No. 33 overall prospect in the class and the No. 6 center.
Top-20 senior Kyle Filipowski tells ESPN he’s committed to Duke — giving Jon Scheyer his first commitment since becoming coach-in-waiting.
“They just checked all of the boxes for me.”
With @AdamFinkelstein:https://t.co/LZgTp1o2lp
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) July 29, 2021
Filipowski took an official visit to Duke in late June, one of several official trips for the New Yorker. He also visited ACC rival Syracuse, Indiana, Ohio State, Iowa and UConn. Duke, however, was able to win out over all of those other power programs.
Following those visits, Filipowski went into the July evaluation period. During his 2021 run on the Nike EYBL circuit (8 games), Filipowski averaged 13.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists, while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 6-of-13 on 3-point attempts.
Filipowski adds more than just a stretch component, though. With his height, Filipowski can also handle the ball and make passing reads, which would add life to any offense. Big men that can pass allow teams to invert offenses and run actions through a variety of pivot points; it doesn’t have to all be spread pick-and-roll.
Winner is.. Kyle Filipowski.. Excellent big man passer. Only player with 10+ reb 5+ ast 1+ blk per 70 poss https://t.co/C818ZcJjJw
— mike gribanov (@mikegrib8) July 28, 2021
This is Duke’s first commitment since the announcement that Coach K would retire following the 2021-22 season — with Scheyer set to take over.
With Filipowski in the fold, the attention now turns to 5-star small forward Dariq Whitehead, a top-10 prospect in the 2022 class. Whitehead took an official visit to Duke in June; the Blue Devils are the favorites to land the uber-athletic wing, too.
Whitehead was one of the standouts of the Nike EYBL series and Peach Jam. He will announce his college choice on Aug. 1.
Read More on Duke Basketball
Duke’s Scheyer: Paolo Banchero will be central to everything we do this season