Another Duke basketball player is transferring. He’ll play his final season elsewhere
Taking advantage of an NCAA pandemic-era rule allowing athletes an additional year of eligibility, Patrick Tapé is exploring playing another season of college basketball next season.
After one season with Duke, the 6-foot-9 Tapé entered his name in the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday to find a new college home for a unique super senior season.
The Charlotte native played in the Ivy League at Columbia, completing his undergraduate degree last year, before transferring to Duke.
He played in 10 games, with one start, for Duke (13-11) as he was slowed in the middle portion of the season by a back ailment. Tapé averaged just 4.7 minutes of play over those 10 games, scoring 11 points with 11 rebounds as a Blue Devil.
“I can’t express how grateful I am to the staff, my teammates and everyone who helped me along the way during my time at Duke,” Tapé said in a statement released by Duke. “I’ll never forget the experiences, memories and lasting friendships I’ve made during my time here. In talking with my parents and the Duke coaching staff, I have decided to enter my name into the transfer portal and look forward to what’s to come.”
Under pre-pandemic rules, Tapé would have exhausted his eligibility this season since he had previously played three seasons at Columbia from 2016-2019. He sat out the 2019-20 season with an injury prior to transferring and using his fourth season with Duke.
But the NCAA is allowing athletes to not count the 2020-21 season against their eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus creating what’s become known as a super senior season.
“I want to thank Patrick and his family for committing to our program this season,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. “The experience and veteran presence he brought to our locker room were important in such a unique and challenging season. He is a selfless player and was instrumental in the development of our younger frontcourt players. Patrick is a model student-athlete that will leave here holding an undergraduate degree from Columbia and a graduate degree from Duke and I wish him all of the best.”
He’s the second Duke player to use the rule to finish his career at a new school. Jordan Goldwire, a 6-2 reserve guard the past four seasons with the Blue Devils, entered his name in the transfer portal Saturday.
N.C. State guard Braxton Beverly announced Tuesday he’s using his bonus year to return to his home state and play as a super senior at Eastern Kentucky following four seasons with the Wolfpack.
Tapé’s departure leaves Mark Williams as Duke’s lone true center. As a freshman, the 7-1 Williams progressed into a standout player by season’s end. Williams played in 23 of Duke’s 24 games, starting 15, and averaging 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds.
While starting Duke’s final 11 games, Williams scored in double figures in five of the final six games. That included his 23-point, 12-rebound effort in a 70-56 ACC tournament win over Louisville that turned out to be Duke’s final game of the season.
Duke lost two freshmen forwards from this season’s team as 6-9 Jalen Johnson declared for the NBA Draft and withdrew from school in February. The 6-8 Jaemyn Brakefield entered his name in the transfer portal last week.
Sophomore Matthew Hurt, a 6-9 forward named first-team, all-ACC after averaging a league-best 18.1 points per game, is considering declaring for the NBA Draft although he’s yet to formally do so.
Duke has two forwards signed for next season’s freshman class in 6-9 Paolo Banchero and 6-7 Alan Griffin. Both are McDonald’s All-Americans and five-star recruits.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Another Duke basketball player is transferring. He’ll play his final season elsewhere."