This collection of stories explores Duke basketball legends who excelled at the college level and established their presence in the NBA Draft.
Kyle Filipowski announced his entry into the NBA Draft after leading Duke in scoring and rebounding, and later heard his name called by the Utah Jazz in the second round. Cooper Flagg finished his standout season by declaring for the NBA Draft as a leading candidate for the first overall pick.
Cooper Flagg’s accomplishments included leading Duke to an ACC title and a Final Four appearance, becoming national player of the year, and reaching statistical milestones rarely seen for a freshman. The articles also detail Jeremy Roach’s leadership during two coaching eras and Kon Knueppel’s key scoring performances in high-stakes games.
Read the stories below.
NO. 1: LASTING LEGACY: DUKE’S JEREMY ROACH SPANS TWO COACHING TENURES, CHASES MORE BANNERS
Recruited to play for Coach K, Jeremy Roach started for the Hall of Famer in the 2022 Final Four. Bonded with Jon Scheyer, he led Coach K’s successor’s first Duke team to an ACC championship. What does Roach have in store this March? | Published March 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
NO. 2: DUKE BASKETBALL STAR KYLE FILIPOWSKI LEAVES BLUE DEVILS, ENTERS 2024 NBA DRAFT
The 7-foot forward announced his plans to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility on Friday, the same day Duke freshman guard Jared McCain announced he was leaving school early. | Published April 12, 2024 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
NO. 3: DUKE’S KYLE FILIPOWSKI IS SELECTED IN THE NBA DRAFT BY UTAH, ONE DAY LATER THAN EXPECTED
One of two players left in the green room after the first round Wednesday night, Kyle Filipowski from Duke was finally picked in the second round by Utah. | Published June 27, 2024 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
NO. 4: VIRAL DUNK, RECORD OUTBURST FINALLY ELEVATE COOPER FLAGG AS COLLEGE HOOPS’ MAIN CHARACTER
Cooper Flagg, who arrived amid unusual hype and the hosannas of every NBA draft expert, was almost certainly going to end up as college basketball’s biggest star. It took a while to get here, but here we are. | Published January 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Luke DeCock
NO. 5: DUKE FRESHMAN PHENOM COOPER FLAGG COMPILING RARE STATISTICAL ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE AGES
Retired Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski has high praise for Blue Devils freshman Cooper Flagg’s season to date: “He’s the best player in the country.” | Published January 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
NO. 6: TOTAL DOMINATION: 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM DUKE BASKETBALL’S BIG HOME WIN OVER NORTH CAROLINA
Duke took control of its rivalry game with UNC early and never relinquished control, cruising to a big win and remaining perfect in ACC play. | Published February 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman Shelby Swanson
NO. 7: COSTLY WIN: DUKE BASKETBALL OUTLASTS GEORGIA TECH IN INJURY-MARRED ACC TOURNAMENT OPENER
After trailing by as many as 14 in the first half, top-seeded Duke outlasted Georgia Tech, but the Blue Devils lost two key players to serious injuries in the process. | Published March 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Luke DeCock
NO. 8: DUKE’S KON KNUEPPEL STILL WAITING FOR HIS NCAA TOURNAMENT MOMENT TO ARRIVE
Duke’s Kon Knueppel has distinguished himself with his consistency this season, but he still has the potential to be the Blue Devils’ most explosive player. | Published March 26, 2025 | Read Full Story by Luke DeCock
NO. 9: WITH DUKE BASKETBALL IN FINAL FOUR, COACH K OPENS UP ON BLUE DEVILS, COACH JON SCHEYER
As legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski began plotting his retirement plan, his vision for his successor, Jon Scheyer, looked a lot like what’s happening now. Here’s what Coach K had to say. | Published March 31, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
NO. 10: ‘THE RIGHT TEAM. THE RIGHT COACH.’ WHY DUKE BASKETBALL HAS BEEN ALL COOPER FLAGG HOPED
Already an ACC champion, a consensus all-American and national player of the year, Cooper Flagg chases an NCAA championship before heading to NBA as the likely No. 1 pick | Published April 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
NO. 11: COOPER FLAGG LED DUKE TO AN ACC TITLE AND THE FINAL FOUR. THE NBA IS NEXT
National player of the year Cooper Flagg, who led Duke to the ACC championship and Final Four as a freshman, enters the NBA Draft and is expected to be the top pick. | Published April 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Steve Wiseman
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.