Jaylen Blakes, a junior basketball player at Duke, has one more season of eligibility to play basketball elsewhere.
After three seasons as a tenacious defender and selfless team player off the bench for Duke basketball, Jaylen Blakes revealed his decision to transfer to another program on Saturday afternoon. As of now, it remains uncertain which program he will choose to play his final year of college basketball.
Whichever team ultimately secures his commitment will gain a reliable defensive asset, although his effectiveness on the offensive end may have some limitations.
Standing at 6-foot-2, Jaylen Blakes, a versatile guard hailing from Somerset, New Jersey, entered the college basketball scene as a highly touted four-star recruit. He notably became the final commitment to the now-retired coaching legend, Mike Krzyzewski. Blakes is set to graduate this spring, making him eligible to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.
During his junior year with the Duke Blue Devils, who concluded the season with a 27-9 overall record, Blakes played a role in the team’s success. Notably, the team managed to upset the No. 1 seed Houston in the Sweet 16, only to fall to ACC rival NC State in the following game in Dallas. Blakes appeared in 31 games, averaging 1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in just 9.2 minutes per game.
Blakes joins Mark Mitchell and Christian Reeves as the third Duke Blue Devil to enter the transfer portal during this cycle.
Duke basketball is gearing up to welcome six highly acclaimed freshmen this summer, including Cooper Flagg, Khaman Maluach, Isaiah Evans, Kon Knueppel, Patrick Ngongba II, and Darren Harris. This incoming group forms the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.
Additionally, there have been reports indicating the return of Tyrese Proctor, while fans eagerly anticipate official announcements regarding the plans of Jeremy Roach, Jaden Schutt, Caleb Foster, Sean Stewart, and TJ Power.
If all the mentioned players decide to return for Jon Scheyer’s third season as head coach, Duke would have just one scholarship spot left to fill on the 2024-25 roster.