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Four Blue Devils Named to All-ACC Academic Team

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

DURHAM – Four Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball players have been named to the 2023 All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball Team, the conference announced Thursday.

Freshman Kyle Filipowski and sophomore Jaylen Blakes are joined by graduates Jacob Grandison and Ryan Young on the team. This marks the 29th consecutive season Duke has had at least one selection to the All-ACC Academic Team. The Blue Devils now boast 105 all-time All-ACC Academic picks.

Filipowski ended the season as a nine-time ACC Rookie of the Week, a near-unanimous selection as ACC Rookie of the Year, the ACC Tournament MVP, and an honorable mention AP All-American. He led the Blue Devils in scoring (15.1), rebounding (8.9) and steals (1.3), while leading all Division I freshmen with 16 double-doubles. The only Duke player to start all 36 games, Filipowski posted 31 games with at least 10 points and six 20-point efforts.

Blakes averaged 13.5 minutes, 3.4 points and 1.5 rebounds this season, all career highs. The sophomore had a career game at Wake Forest off the bench, logging career bests in points (17), made field goals (six), made three-pointers (three), and steals (three) while playing 25 minutes. He made his first career start against Florida State on Dec. 31 and scored 17 points while playing a career-high 30 minutes.

Grandison was a key sixth man off the bench for the Blue Devils this season and eclipsed 1,300 career points in Duke’s win against Louisville. He played a season-high 31 minutes at No. 8 Virginia and made three shots from beyond the arc, including a game-tying three-pointer with less than a minute in regulation. His season high for points came in Duke’s win over Bellarmine, when the graduate poured in 16 points, including a team-high four three-pointers.

Young highlighted his season in Duke’s win over Florida State, turning in a historic performance in his 100th career game. He became the first Blue Devil to have a 20-10 double-double while not missing a shot, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. He finished the season with 10 double-figure scoring games and 18 games with at least five rebounds.

Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. In addition, student-athletes must compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s games.