Coming off its first season without an invitation to the NCAA Tournament since 1995, Duke men’s basketball learned on Wednesday that one of its freshmen will not be returning to the program.
Forward Jaemyn Brakefield announced in a statement released by the school that he will be entering the transfer portal.
“The opportunity to be a Blue Devil meant the world to me and I want to thank everyone I met in my time here at Duke,” said Brakefield. “The bonds I built will be with me forever. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of individuals to be around during these unpredictable times and I thank my coaches, teammates and our fans for accepting me with open arms. With that being said, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal.”
A former four-star recruit out of Huntington Prep in West Virginia, Brakefield appeared in 22 games for the Blue Devils, making two starts and averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
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Brakefield scored in double-digits four times for Duke, with one of his better performances coming in a 66-65 win against Virginia in February, as he recorded 11 points and five rebounds. Brakefield played only eight minutes over the course of the Blue Devils’ two Atlantic Coast Conference tournament games against Boston College and Louisville, both wins.
“We support the decision made by Jaemyn and his family,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He was a terrific representative of our program and we wish him all of the best as he continues his academic and athletic pursuits. Jaemyn has a bright future ahead of him and we will miss him.”
Duke went 13-11 this past season, and the Blue Devils’ campaign came to a sudden end when an intra-team COVID-19 case led to the cancellation of their matchup against Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.
–Field Level Media