Even though Jared McCain did not play on any Duke basketball teams that won championships, Durham will remember him for a very long time.
The rookie superstar, who averaged 14.3 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting from 3-point range in his fantastic debut season, declared his intention to skip his last three years of eligibility and enter the 2024 NBA Draft.
McCain shared a video statement along with his decision on social media.
The native of California remarked, “I’m so grateful and appreciative of my life today.”
“Word cannot describe the gratitude I have for coach [Jon] Scheyer. He believed in me when I felt like he could’ve given up on me and not given me a chance as a freshman.”
McCain expressed similar sentiments about the Duke head coach after the Blue Devils were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the Elite 8 against NC State, moving him to tears in the interview room.
“It’s been the best year of my life to play in Cameron Indoor, to play for Duke, and to put on that jersey.”
It was a difficult decision for Jared McCain, but one he had to make as a projected first round pick in what is considered a weak draft class. Many experts believe the Duke freshman will be selected inside the Top-20.
“Even only being [at Duke] for one year, I got to the impact and the power of The Brotherhood,” McCain added. “And that’s what made this decision extremely hard, but I’ve always been a dream chaser. I’ve always been one to reach my goals and that next one is the NBA.”
After his social media video, McCain went back to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share another message with the Duke basketball fans.
“Duke fans I can truly say this was the best year of my life, I can’t stress that enough,” he said. “I loved everything about this school. Thank you for welcoming me with open arms and supporting me through everything this year.”
McCain struggled to adjust to the college game in the first month of the season but exploded from mid-December until the end of the year, averaging 16.1 points per contest in Duke’s final 28 games.
His viral social media videos during the NCAA Tournament helped him gain further national prominence.
“I know the TikToks and nail painting is different and hard to look past for some but I really played every game like it was my last and worked everyday to try and represent that Duke jersey correctly,” he said.
Above all, I want to express my gratitude for letting me be who I am. I sincerely hope and pray that by playing, I was able to make someone smile and feel good. I adore Duke.
