Kyle Filipowski gives his biggest takeaways from freshman year at Duke

Duke star Kyle Filipowski is getting ready to return for his sophomore year in college. He expects to be a much improved played by the time the season rolls around.

As Filipowski explained on The Brotherhood Podcast, he’s grown both as a player and as a person already while at Duke.

“The biggest thing I probably took away for myself was just how I grew individually as like as a person and a player,” Kyle Filipowski said. “Just kind of stepping into the shoes that have been left for me to fill.”

It’s difficult for a freshman to succeed at a place like Duke. Expectations are massive, having decades of college basketball greats setting the standard before Filipowski got there. On top of that, this was head coach Jon Scheyer’s first season at Duke, adding to the challenges.

“I feel like I did a decent job of that and kind of grew into them pretty well.”

Kyle Filipowski added that he also made strides from his time in high school to his first year at Duke, explaining that he needed to be more dedicated to the team, turning basketball into his lifestyle.

In the end, Duke went 14-6 in ACC play before going on a run to win the ACC Tournament. In the process, they beat talented teams like Virginia and Miami. However, the Blue Devils were quickly eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, losing in the second round to Tennessee.

Kyle Filipowski on his decision to go to Duke

Ahead of his second year with Duke, Kyle Filipowski reflected on his decision to go to Duke in the first place and what appealed to him about the program.

“I made a pros and cons list with all of my visits that I went on. And on the plane ride home? I made a pros and cons list for Duke. And there were just no cons that I could really write about compared to other schools. I couldn’t think of one single con for Duke,” Filipowski said.

“I mean just with the relationship I had with Coach Scheyer and, also, the rest of the staff? But, also, everything else Duke has to offer in terms of it being a nice atmosphere? Best college fanbase, biggest stage? But also good academics? It was kind of a great place to set myself up for the rest of my life.”