The Blue Devils will welcome back another one of their former players next season.
Another Duke basketball transfer has committed to an ACC school, continuing a pattern that began this offseason.
However, this one appears to be a little different.
Jaylen Blakes, a graduate transfer from the Blue Devils, revealed his intention to sign with Stanford this weekend following three years at Duke. He appeared in 31 games this season, averaging 9.2 minutes and 1.8 points per contest.
Following the dissolution of the PAC-12, Stanford, California, and SMU opted to join the ACC.
The Cardinal went 14-18 (8-12 PAC-12) in its final season in the league, and there are concerns about how competitive the team will be in its first year in the ACC, but the acquisition of head coach Kyle Smith from Washington State should bring a more skilled group to the Bay Area.
“Adding Jaylen Blakes to our team benefits us on multiple levels. “He will bring us athleticism and experience in the backcourt,” Smith added.
Blakes, a New Jersey native, joined the program as a Top-110 recruit, alongside Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, and Trevor Keels.
“Offensively he has the ability to score and distribute by getting paint touches with his strength and quickness, while also keeping defenses honest with the ability to knock down 3-pointers.”
Blakes is the final Duke athlete to sign with his new school after entering the transfer portal this offseason; he joins TJ Power (Virginia), Christian Reeves (Clemson), and Jaden Schutt (Virginia Tech) as ACC players.
Jeremy Roach (Baylor), Sean Stewart (Ohio State), and Mark Mitchell (Missouri) left the conference.
Next season, Duke will visit Stanford in its first conference battle, though the date has yet to be announced.
Schutt is the only other former athlete who will return to Durham next season, as the Blue Devils will travel to Clemson and Virginia.
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