What Duke Basketball Rookie Deron Rippey Jr. Takes Pride in Displaying

Deron Rippey Jr. has already exhibited some winning ways in a Duke basketball jersey. After all, it was the 6-foot-3, 185-pound freshman guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., who drained the 3-pointer to seal Team White's 29-24 victory over Team Blue in the Blue-White scrimmage at Countdown to Craziness two weeks ago.

That clutch effort aligns with the self-assessment he provided in the latest episode of the program's Devilish series, a behind-the-scenes look at a day in Rippey's life as a bus-riding newcomer on campus.

"The biggest thing for me is I just want to win games, man," the 19-year-old Rippey, who led Blair Academy (N.J.) to a 30-2 record last season and was named a McDonald's All-American, said in his self-filmed message to the Blue Devil fanbase. "I feel like I'm a big winner. I've always taken pride in just being competitive, just like always coming out on top a winner.

"That's why I came to Duke. I just want to be on the biggest stage in college basketball, have a chance to compete for a national championship, which I know we have a chance to win this year, which I know we are going to win this year. I just want to be a big part of that, man."

Rippey, a turbocharged scorer and advanced playmaker who doubles as a ball-hawking perimeter defender, added in the video that his mentality is undoubtedly of the team-first mentality.

"Honestly, I just want to play my role, whether that's scoring, playing defense, coming in being a spark off the bench," he noted. "Whatever it is, I just want to contribute towards winning. And with that being said, everything is going to work itself out."

Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer's Early Thoughts on Deron Rippey Jr.

At Countdown to Craziness, Rippey was a clear fan-favorite, not only for sinking the game-winner that night but also for his high-flying appearance in the dunk contest and the crowd-exciting variety of contributions on both ends of the court throughout the Blue-White scrimmage. He followed that up on Thursday night with 11 points, two assists, and one steal across his 22 minutes off the bench in Duke's 102-62 home scrimmage win over Belmont.

"'Rip' is about substance," fifth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer explained to Duke Blue Devils On SI at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte last week. "'Rip' shows up to work every single day. I think his growth is going to come from the natural progressions that freshmen have to make.

"It's the real-time decision-making. It's playing against the size. It's being ready to shoot. It's blocking out all of the time. It's all the details of what it takes to win in college. And there's going to be a learning curve with that, and there's going to be a progression. But he's smart. He's tough. He's really coachable. And I really believe in his future with us."

Rippey and the rest of the Blue Devils, projected to be either No. 1 or 2 in the AP Top 25 poll to begin the regular season, are now gearing up to host Tennessee for an exhibition matchup in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network).