Mason Gillis, a new Duke basketball prospect, is only a few months younger than Zion Williamson.
Mason Gillis will be 24 years old when Duke opens ACC play next season. The seasoned forward from Purdue is around 3.5 years older than the Blue Devils’ oldest returning player, junior guard Tyrese Proctor.
It’s also worth noting that Gillis, who redshirted his first year at Purdue before averaging over 20 minutes per game in each of the last four seasons, has done something no one else on the 2023-24 Duke roster has: he’s played for a national title.
So, given his extensive experience and the fact that the Blue Devils lost two great forwards to the transfer portal, sophomore Mark Mitchell and freshman Sean Stewart, it’s easy to see why head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff were eager to secure a commitment from the graduate bruiser.
And they accomplished exactly that on Monday afternoon, when Gillis announced that he will now play his last college season in Durham.
Mason Gillis has committed to Duke! Another really solid add by Scheyer, adding experience & grit to the wings.
He was Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year last season, and shot 46.8 percent from 3pt last season. pic.twitter.com/pqhJDzl0UE
— Rick Heidrick (@rheidrick24) April 22, 2024
The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Indiana native joins former two-year Syracuse forward Maliq Brown, an All-ACC defender who will arrive at Duke with two years of eligibility remaining, as the Blue Devils’ only two confirmed transfer acquisitions this cycle.
Mason Gillis, ranked No. 73 overall on the 247Sports transfer rankings, did not put up big numbers for the Boilermakers this season, averaging only 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. However, his efforts, including a 46.8 shooting percentage outside the arc on 3.2 attempts per game, were excellent enough to earn him the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award, indicating that he is willing to serve as a backup for a championship contender.
Duke basketball currently has three open scholarships for the 2024-25 season. As things stand, the Blue Devils will receive a six-man recruiting class, ranked first in the country, to join Mason Gillis, Maliq Brown, Tyrese Proctor, and returning sophomore guard Caleb Foster for Jon Scheyer’s third season in charge.
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