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Why Duke basketball’s Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster are returning for Blue Devils
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- Why Duke basketball’s Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster are returning for Blue Devils
Duke basketball will have experience in its backcourt for the 2024-25 season with the return of Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster .
On the latest episode of "The Brotherhood" podcast , which was released Monday, Proctor and Foster officially confirmed their decisions to stick with the Blue Devils for Jon Scheyer's third year as head coach.
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"It really just comes down to me, what I feel comfortable with," said Proctor, a sophomore captain who is entering his third season at Duke .
"I feel like the best decision for me and what I'm most comfortable with is coming back for another year and going further (in the NCAA Tournament) than we did last year. I feel like it's the right decision and I'm happy I made it."
Foster, one of four freshmen on the roster for the 27-win Blue Devils last season, said he never really thought about the possibility of leaving Durham.
"I'm 1,000% committed to Duke," Foster said. ". … I can't really see myself playing anywhere else. I'm a loyal guy."
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A 6-foot-5 guard, Foster was plagued by injury problems in the latter portion of the season. After playing in the first 27 games, Foster missed the final nine with a foot injury.
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He averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 rebounds and 25.4 minutes per game as a freshman. Foster also shot 40.6% from 3-point range, knocking down multiple 3s in seven games.
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After recently having surgery on his ankle and foot, Foster expects to be back on the court in June.
"Obviously, my season was cut short, but I got perspectives of watching it from the sidelines and playing in it," Foster said. "I learned a lot and I'm very thankful for the opportunity that I got."
Proctor, a 6-foot-5 captain, also dealt with injuries in an up-and-down season. Setbacks with his ankle and a concussion caused him to miss four games. Proctor averaged 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and a team-best 3.7 assists across 32 games, shooting 35.2% from beyond the arc.
Proctor said "getting injured at the start of the year set me back a little bit," but went on to describe it as a "learning experience."
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It's easy to forget Proctor reclassified to join the Blue Devils ahead of the 2022-23 season. Despite some inconsistencies, the Aussie has been Duke's top facilitator and best on-ball defender in his first two seasons.
"People are going to talk about you wherever you are, especially at Duke," Proctor said.
"But for me, I think a big thing this year, I just got rid of social media this year. … You're gonna see stuff. There's too much social media to not be able to see it, but just keep putting in the work and really just not letting that get to you."
The full, 19-minute episode and other episodes of The Brotherhood podcast can be found on multiple podcast platforms.
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What Duke basketball 2024-25 roster looks like with Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster
The return of Proctor and Foster gives Duke stability in the backcourt. Jeremy Roach announced Tuesday his plans to declare for the NBA Draft and enter the transfer portal.
Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski also announced plans to enter the 2024 NBA Draft and Mark Mitchell , a two-year starter, entered the transfer portal.
Currently, Duke's 2024-25 roster will include six freshmen, including four players with guard skills in Cooper Flagg, Darren Harris, Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel. On their podcast appearance, Foster and Proctor highlighted the importance of improving their leadership skills ahead of next season.
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"I feel like it's going to be very different – a lot more intense this summer," Proctor said. ". … Preseason, just doing everything together, that's a big thing."
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why Duke basketball's Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster are returning
