Duke Basketball's Deron Rippey Jr. Gives One Secret to His Development

There's no doubt Duke basketball freshman Deron Rippey Jr. is a determined student of the game. Perhaps that best explains how so many comparisons, including former Blue Devil backcourt sensations Jason Williams and Kyrie Irving, have come to be thrown around by fans when discussing the 19-year-old's brilliance thus far in exhibition play.

Evidently, Rippey enjoys studying other guards' moves and tendencies. He confirmed as much this week on The Brotherhood Podcast alongside sophomore guard Cayden and senior transfer John Blackwell while they were reflecting on No. 2-ranked Duke's eye-popping 103-64 Tuesday night home exhibition victory over the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers.

"For me, as a young guy, having three older guards that played college basketball on my team, I think it's been the best thing for me," the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Rippey, a McDonald's All-American who arrived in Durham as a five-star talent from Brooklyn, N.Y., explained to Boozer and Blackwell.

Boozer and Blackwell have served as Duke's backcourt starters thus far across the team's preseason slate, which also included a 102-62 home win over the Belmont Bruins on Oct. 8. Meanwhile, senior guard Caleb Foster, a 30-game starter last season for a Blue Devil squad that finished 35-3 overall, is wrapping up his recovery from a minor ankle injury.

"Little do you guys know, everything that you guys do that works in practice, like, I'm studying that, and I'm implementing that into my game just so that I can get better," Rippey continued in his notably mature tone and demeanor during their sitdown chat, as the look on the faces of Boozer and Blackwell resembled that of a proud older brother. "You guys have obviously succeeded at this level. And I think it's great for me to watch and pick up on your habits."

Duke Basketball Head Coach Jon Scheyer on Deron Rippey Jr.'s Potency

Across the Blue Devils' pair of exhibition games to date, Rippey is leading the bench with his average of 16.0 points in only 21.5 minutes per contest. He's also averaging 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting a highly efficient 72.2 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three.

"I love his competitive spirit," fifth-year Blue Devil head coach Jon Scheyer said about Rippey during his press conference following the win over Tennessee. "I love the fact that a lot of guys would shy away from competition in his position in the first place.

"He's been a student of the game. Like, he's really tough on himself in terms of being able to quarterback and being able to make the right reads. And I've loved seeing his development in a short period of time. I thought what he did tonight, the energy he gave us off the bench, was a big lift."

Duke concludes its exhibition schedule with a road matchup against the No. 17 Kansas Jayhawks in the famed Allen Fieldhouse at 1 p.m. ET Sunday (ESPN). The Blue Devils' regular season tips off against the visiting Army Black Knights in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU).