Kyle Filipowski says he would not have stayed in college at any other school

Duke star center Kyle Filipowski made the surprising decision in the spring to return to the Blue Devils next year for his sophomore season. But the decision wouldn’t have been made if not for one particular aspect of the equation.

Filipowski said on Duke’s new podcast, The Brotherhood, that he returned for a second college basketball season because he went to Duke.

“Going into this decision actually, I even said it to myself and a few other people, ‘If I were to have gone somewhere else in college, I do not think I would have stayed for my sophomore year,'” Filipowski said. “I probably would have ended up going to the draft this year. But because I had the year I did here at Duke and I just enjoyed it so much, it really made me want to stick around for one more year. All those pros go into it with what Duke has to offer with the basketball and academic side of it. Just getting closer to my degree, which I want to finish in the future, and things like that.”

Filipowski was a top prospect coming out of high school. He was the No. 1 overall recruit in On3’s rankings for the 2022 recruiting class out of Wilbraham (Mass.) Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

His freshman season was a standout one. Filipowski won the ACC Rookie of the Year award after averaging 15.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Duke also won the ACC Tournament in head coach Jon Scheyer‘s first season leading the program with Filipowski earning the ACC Tournament MVP trophy.

Coming back for another season, expectations will be high for the 7-foot Filipowski, who is set to be one of the best players in the ACC.

Kyle Filipowski says hip injury didn’t factor into returning to school

Despite not declaring for the NBA Draft, Kyle Filipowski has had a busy offseason after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on both of his hips in April.

However, he did say that the surgery and his hip injuries did not factor in his decision to not declare for the NBA Draft.

“My hip surgery didn’t even play in it at all either,” Filipowski said on the podcast. “I was thinking about this decision without even thinking about my hips. If my hips weren’t an issue, what would I truly want to do? That was definitely to come back for one more year.”