Putting a Rest to Dubious Results, Can Jared McCain’s Heroics Propel Duke’s Season Back on Track?

Published 12/10/2023, 12:29 AM EST

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Duke’s two-game losing streak came to an end with a dominant victory over Charlotte.  Freshman Jared McCain played a big role in this win which brought relief to the Duke supporters. McCain scored 21 points, with 14 of them coming in the first half. It uplifted the morale of the team as the Blue Devils got together to secure a big win.

Duke was without their starting point guard, Tyrese Proctor, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury he sustained the previous week against Georgia Tech. Kyle Filipowski’s impressive 13 rebounds played a significant role in Duke’s double-digit rebounding advantage. However, the preseason All-American struggled with his shooting, making only two of ten field goal attempts and scoring five points. Nonetheless, McCain’s valor inspired the team on Saturday afternoon in Durham, North Carolina, when they defeated Charlotte 80-56.

Is Jared McCain lifting Duke from its peril?

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Duke’s basketball player, Jared McCain, is determined to make the most of a challenging start to the year. During the first half of the game, McCain scored 14 points, which is his highest score for the season so far. He said, “I’ve already learned so much this season, and setbacks give me the opportunity to learn and improve.”

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McCain was the only rookie in Duke’s starting lineup during their preseason game against UNC Pembroke. He scored a total of 15 points in just 20 minutes and was perfect on all nine free throw attempts. In his first career start against Dartmouth, McCain scored eight points, two of which were from long range.

He played for 29 minutes against Arizona, managing five assists, four rebounds, and nine points. During the Bucknell game, he scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including four three-pointers in the second half, securing his first career double-double.

Jared McCain has achieved significant accomplishments in his career. He was rated as the 14th best player in the USA, the third-best combo guard, and the top player from California with five stars. ESPN also rated him as the best player in California, the second-best shooting guard in the country, and the tenth-best player overall.

With such an impressive resume and the fresh spirit of victory, Jared is what Duke needed most in the moment. With the absence of Tyrese and losing back to back games, energy and motivation from a freshman like him will definitely lift the team up and put them back on track.

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Where does Jared McCain hail from?

Jared McCain was born and grew up in Sacramento, California. He later moved to Corona during eighth grade, where he has been supported by his family ever since. Jared’s older brother, Jayce, is currently a student at Cal State-San Marcos and has a significant influence on Jared.

Shea, his trainer, has been with him since eighth grade, and Jared has been hanging out with the same group of friends for quite some time. Jared’s father graduated from Texas Tech and also played for Spud Webb at Midland College, while his mother was a track star.

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Jared attended Centennial High School, where he was named the California Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 16.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and four assists per game during his junior year. During his senior year, he participated in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game.

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Written by:

Nima Murugan

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“Basketball isn’t an act of jumping jacks, it’s a sport mirroring life through assists and rebounds”. Before becoming an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, I was drawn to the world of basketball when 'The Chosen One' first started locking horns with 'His Airness' over the GOAT debate. Some discourses shape your imagination and rightly so.
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Edited by:

Bilal Handoo